Only Human
by ImGoingtoDie
Summary: When a weapon meant to protect her nearly kills her, a woman must find it within herself to save its owner from the virus meant to destroy the world. Sequel to "The Nature of Wild Things"
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel or Thor. If I did, this shit would so be canon.**

The London city was covered in dew when Othel woke, the first glow of a sunrise not yet blushing on the horizon. She stayed shivering under her thick quilt for a long while, watching the sun climb into a sky heavy with the bloated clouds. It would be cloudy outside…just like almost every other London morning. She had never grown quite accustomed to the cold dreary London air and sky, not even after living there for three years. She was homesick for her warm Tennessee cabin home and her family that resided there without her.

When she looked at the clock she nearly choked. She was up two hours early again. Lately she had begun waking early, though she couldn't say why. Nothing changed in her life recently; even the extremity of her taxing work had begun to feel routine to her. She just felt this foreboding presence. She felt like she needed to be awake…be up and moving. It was the strangest feeling. It was like someone was looking over her shoulder all the time.

The sun was a muted pale yellow on the dew drops a on her window Othel noted as she slowly dragged herself from bed at last. It would be better to start her day early, so she could actually get a little work done. The wood floor was cold beneath her bare feet, and it seemed to send a chill up her entire body like an electric jolt. She hurriedly dashed to her space heater and turned it on low. Screw the heating bill, she was freezing.

The walls of her mediocre bedroom were empty and bland. The only things on the walls now were her shadows as she rushed around to get dressed. Most of the shelves of her in-room bookshelf were stocked full of both fiction and her collection of medical texts. All of her five bookshelves were that way except her last one. It only had two shelves left.

There used to be some life in her kitchen, but that too was now dead and gone. She was never able to remember to water the plants her friend Jane bought her for the new place, and when they died, she donated the pots to the lab for the new meditation garden. Jane didn't seem to mind it too much, so then she bought her a plastic cactus as a joke. Even that was looking dead in the dark of her home as Othel rushed to get a coffee popsicle she made the night previous.

She ate on the way to her lab in the middle of the bustling London city. It was a massive building with twenty floors. Luckily Othel's lab was on the first floor. Othel's lab assistant, Iggy, was already seated at their shared desk when she walked into her ECPDC office, flipping through the glossy pages of a magazine while smacking on gum.

"You're early," he said, not looking up.

Othel rolled her eyes and smirked as she sat down. "Not any earlier than usual. Not any earlier than you. How was that date with that guy?"

"When you get here early, you mean? It was a bust. The guy's married. I don't do that to married women. It's bad karma. So…you have a late night or something?"

"I was trying to solve that virus DNA strand for hours," Othel sighed, shoving a new filter into the coffee pot and jabbing the on switch. "Why do you ask?"

"Because," Iggy said with a snort. "When you're overworking, you get distracted and turn into a lousy biochemist. Then I have to do extra work to compensate. I can't keep up my laziness if you're like that, y'know?"

"Oh, piss off," she snorted with a laugh, sitting heavily with her coffee and pulling up the 3D of the virus strain on the computer before blowing it up with the Stark 3D simulator in the center of the desk.

Iggy laughed and grabbed a file of his own to look through. He started typing away at the desktop to begin what looked like a new bacteria profile. As the pair silently worked, Othel decided to pop off a statement. It was stupid really, but it was something she thought would lighten the somber mood. It was also a dream of hers ever since she was little and heard of Captain America.

"We're going to be superheroes one day, y'know?"

"Superheroes?" he scoffed skeptically. "What's our super power? Saving the world from evil disease?"

"Stopping a pandemic," she said smiling, pausing dramatically to let the words land with a desired effect. "Faster than a speeding bullet!"

"Okay, whatever you say, Oth-Sloth," he snickered. "But there is no pandemic right now. Can't stop something that hasn't started. Unless you've gone crazy and set something lose from the lockdown chambers."

"Maybe not now...but someday we'll be famous."

"Keep dreaming."

"Henipavirus!"

"Henipavirus?" he asked, looking away from his screen.

"Well, it's genetically enhanced henipavirus anyway," Othel said smiling as she paced around the 3D diagram.

"Which kind?"

"Nipha I think," she said, enlarging a single chain to confirm her suspicions.

"Uh...hold on. Nipah virus was identified in April 1999, when it caused an outbreak of neurological and respiratory disease on pig farms in Malaysia, resulting in 257 human cases, including 105 human deaths and the culling of one million pigs. The Nipah virus has been classified by the CDC as a Category C-"

"Quit quoting the Wiki page, I went to college…so did you if I'm not mistaken. Now start sending the doctors who reported it our findings."

"Stupid Yank."

"Cocky Brit."

"Conservative."

"Labourer."

As she was sitting back down, there was a loud sound of shattering glass. Othel tensed before alarms blared overhead. Those were the sirens for an automatic full shutdown. There was an intruder judging by the flashing black lights overhead. The power went out, and everything was shut down and savedon every computer. Othel and Iggy automatically went to hide in their floor's panic room.

Othel noted a loud, dull hum as they continued to walk briskly. Something caught her full in the stomach, carrying her back to window and out into the streets until it continued past her, leaving her on the ground. As it happened, Othel was in a quiet sort of fear and shock. She spat blood on the pavement as she lay face down amongst the debris. She tried to get up, and that's when she saw Iggy running to her looking paler than a sheet.

"Oh, fuck. Othel, are you okay?"

"Iggy get…go."

The building groaned as it started falling. Iggy went to grab her, but then he stopped as debris fell around them. Othel looked up and screamed at what she saw. Iggy had a beam through his skull and was pinned up above her. Othel tried to move to him, but she realized she couldn't feel her legs. She couldn't feel anything below her crushed hips. She couldn't move her lower body at all. Something was wrong with her spine.

A scream ripped from Othel's throat in terror and despair. Was there...was there anyone who was out there that could hear her? She started to cry out for help, but her voice as like a ripple in a raging sea storm. She felt her vision going, and Othel began to lose consciousness there amongst the rubble. She didn't dream…she just hurt as the world screeched and wailed around her.

Othel stirred slowly from her state when she felt a wet tongue on her cheek. Groaning, she looked up and saw a golden retriever with a bright orange vest. Search and rescue. It started barking and yelping, not leaving her and waiting for her until a woman came up. She knelt down and used a wet cloth to dab water into Othel's mouth. She choked the water down her burning throat.

"H-How…long?"

"Two days. Ma'am, stay with me. Tell me your name."

"Survivors?"

"We've only found you and three others."

"What…what happened?"

"Thor saved the world from certain destruction. His weapon, that big hammer," she added. "It had to go through a few buildings to get to him in time. Ma'am? Ma'am! I need some help over here! We're losing her!"


	2. Chapter 2

"Mumma! Baba! Wake up!"

Loki groaned as he felt his children climbing up into his and Sága's bed, clumsy legs and elbows hitting him in the side and the gut and nearly in the groin as they scrambled about. Loki merely groaned and burrowed deeper into the covers, wondering what ungodly time it was. While Loki had always been a night owl, he had somehow been granted the misfortune of having five children who were all larks, just like his wife. He could tolerate Sàga because he usually got sex, but his children were an entirely different matter.

He could hear Narfi—the eldest of their brood—giggling as she burrowed into Loki's side with all her bony extremities and messy hair. Ástridr helped Dagmar and Grið onto the bed, as they were far too short and weak to climb in all by themselves. Loki assumed Hjördis must still have been sleeping, as she was too little to have an actual bed, and the others weren't tall enough get her out of her crib. Thank the Norns for that. He felt Sàga shift and sit up in the bed, having much difficulty in her heavily pregnant state.

The children started laughing as they all piled on top of her. It'd be a miracle if their next child didn't have brain damage with all the poking and prodding the little ones did. Sàga's own tinkling laughter echoed through the room soon after. Loki was then degraded to a stepping stool for all of his daughters. There was too much estrogen in the room.

"Baba! Baba wake up!" Dagmar screeched into his ear.

Loki grumbled as he opened an eye. "Yes? Can I help thee?"

Dagmar smiled broadly, violet eyes lighting up as she stared down at him. "Baba," she said, looking so happy.

There wasn't an ounce of sleep left in those little eyes. Loki didn't understand how it was possible for all of them to be so animated this early in the morning, but she had always been a spirited girl. Her hair was wild, like a pale blonde halo framing her little tan face.

"Baba," Grið said, requesting Loki's attention.

Loki smiled as she leaned down from her perch around Sàga's shoulders to hug him. Of all his daughters, Grið was truly the most brave and foolhardy of all his children. Aside from her big green eyes that seemed to take up most of the room on her face, she was the spitting image of Sàga, and her gold hair glowed like fresh straw.

Ástridr, the second born of their children, stumbled across the bed and snuggled next to Narfi in between Loki and Sàga. Àstridr looked exactly like their lost son, Vali except in a more…developed female form. She had the little narrowed nose, and she had inky black hair she liked to keep short despite the social norms to grow her hair out long.

Sàga yawned and then laughed as the youngest two mimicked her. Ever since they were old enough to sit up on their own, Sàga had played their old mirror game with their children. Despite Loki's initial fears, she had been a brilliant mother. Loki could ask her for nothing more than what she gave to their children. He only hoped he was doing an equally fine job. She had to be exhausted as much as she since she was with child for the sixth time.

"Go on now, off with thee, thou tiny heathens," Loki said as he tickled Narfi into a fit of squirming hysteria. "Elsa will help you dress, and then we shall all go to breakfast together."

"And see Uncle Thor?" All five faces lit up.

"If he so chooses to grace us with his presence, then yes. Now, on with thee, before I unleash the tickle scoundrel!"

The truth was Loki wasn't entirely certain about his fellow King's current condition. It was a sad day when Jane was refused the fruit of Idunn's trees. Idunn tried so very hard to get them to produce fruit, but it never came. It was an even sadder day when her death also came upon them. Ever since the Lady Jane died of Alfheimr Fever a year previous, he had closed in on himself. He seemed to have sworn off all happiness on the eve of her funeral. Everyone in Asgard mourned for the Queen Jane. She was well-known and well-loved. Many of the Realms held ceremonies for her as well; she was a Goddess in her own rite. It seemed Narfi grieved the most out of their family. She was obsessed with all things Midgardian, so she latched onto Jane early on. Thor and she were also quite close as an Uncle and a niece.

The maids came in as the children ran around the room, trying to evade Loki as he chased them, and picked up the younger two to begin their morning activities. Narfi and Ástridr followed behind soon after them, the sound of their little feet beating against the floor in a haphazard rhythm as they dashed out of the room to terrorize the rest of the palace. Though Loki tried not to be prone to sentimentality, he felt his heart swell with love as he watched their little retreating figures.

Loki groaned and curled himself around his pregnant wife as he snuck back into the warmth of his large bed. "I can only pray the cooks don't serve anything with sugars."

"I like sweets."

Loki smirked and started kissing up and down her neck, licking along her ear to the jagged tip that was bitten off long before they met. "Ah, and who could deny such a fair maiden as thee? I still cannot fathom how thou hast convinced me to have so many of our brood."

"Thou love our children."

Loki rolled his eyes. "Of course I love them. They're half of me, how could I not?" he hummed as he leaned in and kissed Sàga's neck, his fingers running up and down her thigh all the while. "I'm brilliant, so I must make them so."

Sàga huffed and tried to squirm away from him. "Stop, Oki. I'm hungry."

Loki chuckled. "I cannot help myself. Thou art simply too beautiful and divine in this state for me to keep my hands to myself."

Sàga managed to squirm out of bed in a hormonal state of upset, trying to dress herself. She always got upset when Loki got handsy with her without her permission. She was like a cat, only allowing affection when it was on her time. Loki followed suit as she got dressed and joined her in her trek to the royal dining hall.

Breakfast was a raucous affair as usual. The children were actually rather well behaved, but they were still children...even worse, toddlers. They were loud and boisterous and eating with enthusiasm. Even little Hjördis was making a mess with her Midgardian cereal. Thor was actually there and seemed to be in a…well, a melancholy state. He appeared blank and emotionless when not in conversation with Narfi or the other children.

Loki did actually pity his brother, and he empathized with him. If anyone dared say he would feel this way for Thor nine years ago, he would have gutted them alive. By the Nine, why didn't Thor listen when Loki and Odin warned him about getting involved with a mortal woman. It was foolish! Now he was reaping the weeds of his conquest.


	3. Chapter 3

Othel wheeled herself down the third floor hallway of her apartment building, taking out her key and entering her flat without having to pause. Damn, she was getting good at this. She sat a shipping box of ramen on the kitchen floor: only $25. She was done with grocery shopping for a while. After that, Othel went to her bedroom which she turned into a lab where she did freelance consults. Why was her door open? That thing was locked down with an airtight Stark Industries DNA pad. Figures it would fail; Stark made shitty stuff all the time.

Holy mother of God. Everything...everything was gone! All of her notes, equipment, files...they were fucking gone damn it! Who the fuck broke into her flat?! She'd inoculate the little bastards with anthrax when she got her hands on them! A sound caught her attention. Where the culprits seriously dumb enough to stay at the scene of the crime? There stood a woman with the falt-ironed red hair hunched over in an all-black skin tight one piece suit, and there was a man holding a bow. Was she really that dangerous? She was in a wheelchair for Pete's was another man that came in from her bathroom that looked like the FBI type. She hated those guys; they thought everyone and their puppy owed them something.

"Who the hell are you?" she snarled.

"We're from S.H.I.E.L.D," said the FBI looking man. "I'm Agent Phil Coulson; that's Black Widow and this here is Hawkeye."

She knew those names from the New York alien assault. That was about it though. "The hell is S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"It's the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."

"Oh joy, you're those government pricks that were on the news…Captain America, right? And what pray tell do you deal with?" she snapped as she wheeled herself out into her sitting room. She started going through her secret weapons cabinets. All empty. Bastards.

"With supers and mutants and aliens...both good and bad. Nick Fury wants to recruit you into S.H.I.E.L.D., Dr. Cromwell."

The word "alien" and "supers" brought the incident that paralyzed her to mind. She still had nightmares about that hammer, Iggy, those creepy elves and the long recovery she had to ordeal. She didn't get any assistance from the government. Leave it to the socialists to screw her over. Othel wanted nothing to do with that shit. That's why she moved back to America after the London incident. She hated this entire planet for all the freaky shit that was happening around her.

"Well, I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm kinda bad at fighting baddies," she said, motioning to the wheelchair. "So kindly shut the door on your way out."

"Please, Dr. Cromwell, Fury just wants to talk. This is a global emergency," Coulson pleaded.

"Bullshit."

"Look," the redhead snapped. Did she detect some Russian vowel sounds in there? Oh joy, they hired a batshit crazy communist. "We aren't leaving until you come with us, so we can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

"Well, I ain't going with you willingly, so I guess that means I'm going the hard way," she retorted.

The front door banged open, splintered wood flying every which way as her door smashed into her kitchen. She hoped they covered the damages. A familiar metal suit stomped in with a cocky stride. Tony fucking Stark. As scientific public figures in the past, they had a few short encounters at parties and speeches and conventions. That was back when he didn't tower over her like a brick shithouse. People said Tony and Othel hated each other so much because they were so different. He was a narcissistic playboy, and she was a depressed introvert. Every time Othel saw the asshole, she cringed.

"Well, if it isn't little Oth Sloth. Long time no see."

"My name is Othel, you pig."

"Why are you here, Stark?" the Hawk-thing asked.

"I'm here to pick up my new employee."

"Excuse me?" the Russian said more than asked.

"Othel," Stark said, getting on one knee as his helmet slid back. "I find myself in desperate, nay, dire need of a...what are you again?"

"Biochemist."

"Of a biochemist. I will settle for nothing but the best. That's you! Please come work for me. I'll die if you say no!"

"Promise?"

"No, Tony," Coulson frowned. "She's working for S.H.I.E.L.D.."

"The hell I am!" Othel snapped. Then she had an idea. "Stark, you're on!"

"Seriously? Wow, I didn't think that one would actually work."

"Feisty aren't you?" the ginger smirked.

"Fuck. You."

"So, I'll share her with you guys, but all the decisions go through yours truly."

"Control freak," Othel grumbled.

"That's no way to talk to your employer. I'll have all your things moved to New York ASAP."

* * *

Stark made Othel go to a ship in the middle of the Atlantic. It wasn't like she could honestly struggle. He picked her up out of her wheelchair and flew off the same way he came in. Asshole. He was lucky Othel didn't slap a sexual assault charge on his perky little ass. When they got there, Stark carried her to an interrogation room and put her in a regular chair. Bastards. She couldn't get away now.

"Now, would you like to tell us your full name?" a woman called Agent Hill asked. "For the records."

"Nah. I'm good. I wanna make this as difficult for you people as possible."

"That wasn't a question."

"Still don't wanna."

A black pirate walked in from the outside. "Tell us your name, doctor."

"Oh look, a new guy. Still not telling."

"I'm Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Tell me your name."

"No."

"Othel Shikspar Cromwell," Tony huffed. "Her parents had a sense of humor, and they made her first two names boy names. Pair of theatre geeks."

"Bastard."

"So, your name is Othel?" Agent Hill asked, looking up from her computer.

"Sadly."

"Well, doctor, it seems we're in need of your skills. Last week, terrorists of HYDRA released a virus into the airports on Shanghai, Tokyo, London, and Brazil. This could become a global pandemic. Our own virologist says it could take as little as two months for it to wipe out humanity."

Something thought long dead suddenly awoke in Othel: curiosity. She hadn't felt this interested in anything since she woke up from her medically induced coma. Othel hated to admit it, but she was almost giddy at the prospect of such an important case. She had been constantly barraged with easy cases since being a freelancer.

"I'm listening."

"For your help, we will compensate you in addition to your pay from Stark Industries. You will receive political immunity in every nation in the world. We will assist you in as many ways as we can in your work."

"Man," Tony said. "Even I'd take that."

"Do I get credit?"

"Anything you discover, you'll get credit for."

"Deal."


	4. Chapter 4

Thor was doing a routine walk through of the golden city of Asgard. He and Loki decided it would be best if the people felt he and Loki actually cared about what they thought. In truth though, only Thor really cared about his people. He passed through the luxurious markets where grand baubles and fabrics and foods were being sold. Children ran by him as they played catch with a dog. Their happiness and laughter actually hurt Thor. He hid it with his usual grin as he greeted and spoke with many of his people. None had a clue. No one actually knew that Thor felt himself losing his soul every time they smiled and blessed his day.

Ever since Jane died of Alheimr Fever, Thor had felt so empty and dead. The only reason he had not taken his own life was because of the oath he made to Asgard and Midgard. He swore to put them before himself and to protect them. Even directly after Jane's funeral, Thor went to work for his people despite recommendations from his family and many of his followers. If he stopped working though, he would think of Jane, and that only made each passing day worse to bear. Something running into his leg pulled Thor from his melancholy. It was Narfi who beamed up at him, missing a few small baby teeth.

"Uncle Thor."

Thor smiled. Of all his nieces, Thor was the most connected to Narfi. They bonded over their love for Midgard and over their love for Jane. "Yes?"

"I want up! Up! Up! Up!"

Thor smirked. "Doth thy parents know thou art here?"

She looked at Thor guiltily. "Nu-uh. But I wanted to tell thee something."

Thor chuckled as he bent to scoop Narfi up into his arms. His niece giggled in delight, hands fisting in the fabric of his cloak to keep upright as Thor walked. She started to tell him about the book she had been reading about Midgard. She told him about how she wanted him to take her to a beach someday because it sounded so different from their own beach.

"Will thee take me? Please! Please! Please!" she begged.

"We shall see."

"Where we goin'?"

"We must return to the palace."

"Aww, but I don't wanna. I wanted to play with thee. Tell me about the Man of Iron again! Ooh, or maybe the Hulk!"

"I know thou dost not want to, but thine mother and father will be panicking if I do not return thee. Thou should not run off without telling someone."

"I told thee."

Thor smirked. "I do not count, Narfi."

Upon arrival to the palace, he was greeted with Loki and Sàga running around frantically like Ragnarök was upon them at that very instant. When they saw Narfi in Thor's arms, a great weight seemed to leave them. Loki looked like he was ready to "blow a gasket" as Anthony often said, and Sàga just looked frustrated like when she didn't understand something.

"Narfi, what hath I said about running off?!" Loki snapped, crossing his arms.

"I don't like lessons."

"Thou shalt never be smart like Uncle Thor or Aunt Jane if thou doth not take these lessons seriously, young one."

Narfi huffed as Thor let her down. She immediately ran to Loki and embraced his armor-clad knees. She wore a pout that would bring even the dark elf Malekith to his very knees. "Sorry, babba."

Loki sighed and knelt to her level, whispering something to her. She snickered as he spoke, and Thor wondered what those two were starting to scheme up. He hugged her and kissed her head before patting her bottom to send her off with her mother. He could have had that. When Loki and Thor were alone, Loki's face dropped. Something had to be wrong for such instantaneous change, especially in front of Thor.

"What troubles thee, brother?"

"The Midgardian warriors of the SHIELD and the Avengers request thine presence. There is an illness-"

"I must go."

"Thor," Loki barked. "Thou dost not have to avenge Jane's death. Tis impossible to do so. Thou must face thy problems. Mother would have told thou the same, so wipe that look off thy face. "

"I must go. They expect me."

"And what will I say to Narfi? She shall miss thee."

"Tell her…I'm going to find her the perfect beach for when she comes to visit."


	5. Chapter 5

Thor walked into the Debriefing Room where the Avengers usually met to assess situations and talk about missions. He was the last to arrive with the Son of Coul coming in behind him to swipe his card and reseal the doors. No one could get in, but they could get out. It was truly ingenious for such petty creatures to invent it. Everyone looked to him when he entered, and he greeted them happily in return. It was good to see his Midgard friends again. However, he saw a new face there among all the familiar ones as well.

There was a young maiden with black curls tied down at the base of her neck. She was reading over something, holding the paper with frail hands. She was quite pale though, and her eyes were an odd mix of burnt orange and mud brown all mixed together. Thor also noted she sat in a chair with large wheels at its sides. He remembered the Man of Iron informing him that Midgardians used such things when their legs didn't function in a proper manner. Thor began to wonder what had occurred to cause such a beautiful maiden such harm.

"The fuck is he doing here?!" a feminine voice asked. Oh wait, it was…her voice.

"He's an Avenger, Othie," friend Stark said from where he sat. "There's no choice."

"I'm not working with him!"

"Yes you are!" Fury snapped. "Thor, sit down."

"Am I...missing something?" Thor asked as he sat beside Captain Rogers. "Have I done something I should not have?"

"I'd say so."

"Dr. Cromwell that is enough!" Fury roared, finally silencing the woman. By Odin's beard, this healer was quite fiery.

"I am...not certain I understand."

"Remember when those Dark Elves came over to play destroy the Earth? Othel was in London that day. When you called Mjölnir, it kinda hit Othel on the way over. Nearly killed her. It severed her spine, so she can't feel beyond her lower pelvis."

Thor could feel himself falling into a black abyss.

He knew that on that day, many Midgardians were injured or lost their lives. Mortals were so fragile after all...like his Jane. He never suspected he would meet one of them one day, especially one so fair and spirited and full of hatred for him. Thor wanted to give a sincere apology, but she seemed unprepared to cease her hatred of him. He never intended a mortal to come to harm by his hand. He didn't even want to consider the idea that some may have been killed because of him that day.

"Dr. Cromwell, would you please?"

"Yeah, yeah," the woman, Othel, grumbled as she pushed a button on a square.

The lights in the room dimmed, and a holographic image popped up. It was surely of friend Stark's making. He was quite brilliant. The image looked like a worm with eight legs. Dr. Banner commented that it looked quite similar to a water bear, but Thor saw no resemblance to the large furry creature known to be of Midgard. The woman wheeled herself to the front of the room and made the holographic model spin in slow circles.

"Avengers, meet the Iago Parasite or the Paulomalumsia. Most everyone who has come into contact with this pathogen has contracted it. It's spread through water and through body fluids. The most common fluids are: oral, sexual, and blood. For reasons unknown, it brings the dead back to a state of reanimation."

"Hold the phone, you mean we're basically fighting a bunch of zombies?" Clint asked the doctor.

"In a way, yes that's correct."

"But how do we fight things that are already deceased?" Thor questioned.

"The first signs of infection come in the form of a severe hangover followed by severe cramping caused by internal bleeding. The patients will begin to bleed heavily from their sexual organs. In some cases, there have been reports of a rash on the abdomen as well. Next, the eyes will be bloodshot and irises will lose their pigment to become red as well, and the hair begins to fall out in clumps," the doctor began showing photos of patients. "By Day 4, the patient will have lost all blood, and the eyes will be covered in a white film. This is where reanimation begins."

The pictures were truly horrific. Thor wanted to avert his eyes, but he knew better. This was part of his duty. Everyone was silent as they watched their invisible foe and saw what it did. Thor was truly grateful he was of Asgard and could not become sick; however, he feared greatly for his companions. If they became ill, what would become of them? Was there nothing out there to save them from such a horrible fate?

"Next, the nails will begin to rot and fall off from lack of nutrients given by blood. The next symptom is rage. It will begin with mild irritation until it builds. This rage has also been known to cause intense states of arousal. I think this is the parasite's desire to spread. After all of this, the patient will eventually black out. Then they suddenly reanimate."

"You speak as though the parasite is controlling the person," Dr. Banner offered as he rubbed his chin and read over the papers in front of them.

"Because it eventually does. Throughout these symptoms, the virus silently spreads into the brain like meningitis."

"The other symptoms are like a decoy," the Black Widow stated. "Damn."

"It infects synapses, mostly concentrating on those in the brain stem. When the patient dies, the brain shuts down, and all brain activity ceases. That's when the parasite applies an adrenal jolt to revive any synapses it infected and reactivates the brainstem of the dead body but only the brainstem. There's no respiration, pulse, or higher mental function; they're driven by survival instinct only. In its reanimated state, the body is able to wander, instinctively trying to feed itself even though it had no digestive or circulatory activity."

Thor cringed at the pictures now. Everyone did. Rotten flesh and blank stares seared themselves into his consciousness.

"A reanimated body responds to light, scent, movement and noise. Even if the head is separated from the body, the head will still attempt to eat anything in reach. They do not feel pain, have no reflexes, and wounds do not heal; its rate of decomposition slowed somewhat while reanimated, but the breakdown process continues."

"How do we fight them?" Stark asked, joking manner now gone. "Goldilocks is right. We can't really fight something that's already dead."

"A corpse can reanimate between three minutes and eight hours after death. But if someone dies, and the brain is damaged, the corpse won't wake up. You have to destroy or at least damage the brain."

By the Nine, what had these Midgardians stumbled upon?

"So there will never be a cure?"

"Not true. The brain could theoretically be revived through electroshock therapies and a dose of the cure."

"So you have the cure?" Son of Coul asked.

"No. I'm still working on it."

"Typical," Natasha said under her breath with a glare.

"Hey!" the woman in the chair snarled. She flung her coffee mug at the wall, and it shattered. "I'm only human! I'm doing the best I can! Now fuck off, communist bitch! I'm leaving!"


	6. Chapter 6

Othel wheeled herself into Bruce's lab in the Avengers Tower one dreary afternoon. She had to come all the way from her apartment which was thirty minutes away mind you. She didn't see what was so fucking important that he needed them in print right then and there. It was out of character for him seeing as he was usually quite agreeable with her. Othel figured being around her was like letting his Hulk come out except it was her doing the raging.

"Hey, Bruce. I brought those files you asked for. I don't see why it's so important you had to have me deliver it in person though. Doesn't Jarvis have those capabilities? I mean damn, man."

"I didn't ask for files," Bruce said, not looking up from his microscope.

"Then who the fuck…Tony," Othel snarled. "Where is he? I'm really gonna cut his dick off this time!"

Bruce thought for a moent as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, holding his glasses between two fingers. "Oh yeah, it's movie night. I'll take you up there. They're expecting me anyways," Bruce said. "You look tired," he added in, taking the handles of her wheelchair.

"The price of being a slave to SHIELD and Tony Stark. I haven't slept in about…forty-eight hours. I'm still on a buzz from my last B12 injection anyway."

"Othel?" Clint asked as he pulled a bag of popcorn from the microwave when the elevator opened up with a muted ding.

"Where's the prick?" she growled.

"Who?" Steve asked.

"The two year-old with the facial hair," she snarled.

"Someone call for a full Tony pizza with a side of sex appeal?" Tony said popping his head around the corner. "I'm glad you got my invitation, Othel. Good to see team members join the dark side."

Othel frowned. "What are you planning, Stark? Why did you lure me over here?"

Tony smirked. "Moi? I am simply informing my pop culture irrelevant friends of what they have been missing out on all these years."

"Why do you need me? This is an Avengers night. If you haven't noticed, I ain't an Avenger. I'm the wheelchair-bound brains of the operation."

"Oh, I just thought you would like this. Your boyfriend is already looking forward to you coming."

"My what?"

"Y'know, your golden love bug."

Othel nearly had an aneurysm right then and there. Tony knew how much Othel hated Thor. Hell, she could hardly stand to be in the same room as him and that goddamn hammer. According to Tony, after that, Thor had been obsessed with her to the point of moping daily about seeking her forgiveness. Apparently he felt bad about hurting her and wanted to apologize. Well too fucking bad. So, of course, that just had to mean Thor was her secret lover. To Tony, any human who obsessed over another had to be in love. Of course, that meant he too was in love...with anything that had tits or mechanical engineering.

"He is not," she snapped. "And I already told you I'm not interested in your patchwork attempt at matchmaking."

"Sure he is," Tony said, "All guys sulk over their girls."

"I am not his girl, damn it!"

"Greetings...L-Lady Othel," Thor said as he walked in, surprised to see her. "How art thou? Thou looks tired."

"I'm fine," she said briskly.

Tony suddenly picked Othel up out of her chair and plopped her into an empty place on his couch. She kicked and screamed and pouted until she saw who she was sitting between: Tony and Thor. Othel started wailing on Stark and yelling. They were worse than siblings. She just wished she could reach for something sharp so she could rip his fingernails off. That would show him to screw with her.

"Don't be such a Debby downer."

Othel glared. "I know where your sex tapes are, Tony. I will show them to Pepper."

"She's already seen them. She's not impressed."

"Prick."

"Will you two shut up?!" Clint snapped. "Tony, what're we watching?"

"Lilo and Stitch."

Othel went to bite him in the arm, but he dodged her to grab the remote from the coffee table.

"Dude, not sanitary," Tony said. "Aren't you with the CDC? You should know this already."

"We're really gonna watch a kid movie?" Bruce asked dryly.

"It was the only thing everyone could agree on," Tony said as he leaned back. "Besides, Steve and Thor have never seen this. It's a Disney must-watch."

Silence settled over the group as they ate and watched Stitch discover his own "ohana." Thor was enamored with the story and characters while Steve obsessed over the amazing animations. It had been awhile since Othel had slept, so she was pretty damn exhausted. She kept gently dozing off into sleep only to be woken up by her body slowly leaning from one side to the next. Suddenly she felt a thick arm tuck her up against something that felt like a blast furnace. She was aware of the rumble of a chest as someone talked quietly. It felt wonderful to finally just relax and close her eyes. Before she knew it, she was sound asleep, completely unaware that she was carried somewhere and laid down on something soft.


	7. Chapter 7

"Next," Othel barked as Tony strolled out now lacking seven vials of blood. Everyone had to tribute to the cause this time. Even Fury came to her office early in the day to get blood drawn. The next Avenger to come in was none other than Thor. Well, fuck her and her shitty luck. She wheeled herself away from the chair as he sat in it. She needed to get those adamantium needles for this lummox; he'd break everything like Steve did earlier. "Good morning," she greeted as she readied her things.

"And a good morn to thee, fair doctor."

"Sit," she mumbled as she laced a tourniquet around his massive arm. It snapped. Well, damn. Othel tied three tourniquets together. "Alright, squeeze your fist for me."

"What doth squeezing my fist do?" he asked as he diligently obeyed with a curious look as he tried to think of what she would do that for.

"I need to find a really good vein. It makes the process a bit less painful and way safer for you," she said as she rubbed sterilizing alcohol over a thick bulging vein in the crook of his arm. "There it is."

"Thou dost not have to worry for me. I am much sturdier than a mere mortal."

Othel growled and jammed the needle into the skin. Thor grimaced and looked down at the cause of his pain. "Oh yeah, slight sting," she mumbled. The needle was a butterfly needle, so it would be more sterile and less painful for patients. She popped a vial into the port and started her multitasking.

Thor looked around her office as she continued to fill vial after vial with his steamy, warm crimson blood. She noticed his eyes catch on something and saw something akin to fondness in his gaze. After bandaging him, she looked back and saw the photos of her and Jane in London on her desk. She smirked softly. He must miss her even if he only felt half of what she did.

That was another reason she detested Thor so fucking much. She had known Jane for twelve years of their lives, so why would she leave for a guy that left her and then came back ten years later. Was she that desperate for a…massive plate of beef? Couldn't she just fuck him and dump him? They had both done it before.

"We were having my twenty-third birthday party when she took those photos. We went to school together. We were roommates," she said as she listened to his heart and breathing. "We bawled like babies on our graduation day."

"She seemed to have left many friends," he murmured thickly.

Othel put a blood pressure cuff on his leg since his arm was too beefy. Did this man have no ounce of fat on him whatsoever?! It was embarrassing for a flabby girl like herself to be in the same room as this overly-cheerful beefcake. "She talked about you all the time," she said with a smirk. "I remember when she stayed over at my place because she had one too many shots of tequila. She nearly had a orgasm on my couch."

Thor laughed. It was a soft, melancholy sort of laugh that those who were suffering used to mask their pain. Only the fellow sufferers could ever detect it. "I am sad to have missed it. I missed much when the Bifrost was destroyed."

There were several moments of silence.

"I must be honest. I came here not only for this examination."

"Okay? So?"

"I came to ask for forgiveness...for what I have done unto thee. I should not have been so careless."

Othel chewed on her lower lip. Asshole. He just had to bring it up right when she was starting to like him. Familiar angst and anger began to roil in her like a tornado. How dare he ask for forgiveness when he was so unworthy of it?! She was about to snap at him until she realized he too had lost something. All month, Thor had been trying to get her to warm up to him. He was grasping at straws, and he looked like a kicked puppy as he waited. Damn her hormones and her female-ness.

"I'm not quite ready to do that," she said, trying to be nice for once. "But...we're cool, I guess. I don't despise you anymore. I just...I need time, y'know? I gotta think a few things through," she said, trying to fill the stillness.

"I understand. The wounds are still fresh," Thor smiled knowingly. "Such is how I was with my brother. I can wait," he said standing. "But I still hope we will be good friends."

When he was gone, Othel huffed. "Fuck. I hate when guys get all sensitive and shit."


	8. Chapter 8

The inside of Avengers Tower was insanely hot and stuffy, but it was comfortable. Like with every successful battle, even one simple as saving a Prussian village from what Stark was calling "zombies," Stark decides they must celebrate with food and booze and holographic strippers. This time though, he left out the holograms for Othel's sake. Tony guzzled down another set of drinks before slamming empty shots against the bar. And why was Othel in amongst all the merriment? It was because a certain metal-suited thunk-head genius had literally dragged her there.

"C'mon Oth Sloth, enjoy the festivities!" he declared. "Have a drink! Relax a little bit!"

"Stark, I need to get back to my lab work," she reprimanded. "I have to do paperwork, oversee the other techs, and do my own research."

"You're working too much, Othel. Take a load off, have a drink, smile," he said as he dumped her onto the couch, making her slump into Banner who looked almost as uncomfortable as she was at these sorts of functions. "What'll ya have?"

"A bullet."

"Very funny. I'll get you a rum and coke with a vodka chaser. Have some fun!"

After three hours of watching others get plastered, Othel slammed back her fourth absinthe vodka. She decided that if she was going to get drunk, she might as well have the good stuff. As usual, she was left to sulk in a corner all alone and brood. She never was a happy drunk nor was she much fun at these types of things. There were cheers all around her, but then the sofa beneath her sunk from a heavy weight.

Othel turned to see a Thor smiling at her with a massive mug in his hand. "Thou seem to be quite bored here, Lady Othel. Thou reminds me much of my brother, Loki. He has never been very fond of social gatherings."

"Oh?" Othel lowered her drink just enough so her rosy face was unobscured by the small glass. She was getting very woozy, so she had to hold the glass with two hands.

"Indeed. He usually likes to sulk in a corner and watch others in their foolhardiness. Sometimes he even plays tricks on the patrons."

As a pair, both Thor and Othel looked at the others. Clint had gone to bed, and Natasha was out of country. Tony and Pepper were nearly humping as they danced in the middle of the floor, and Bruce was just staring at the ceiling with a goofy grin on his face. Even Steve Rogers, Mr. America, was looking a bit drunk as he looked at a magazine Tony gave him. It seemed odd watching them being so happy when she felt so…empty.

"It feels unfair doesn't it?"

"What?" Thor asked before taking a swig of whatever he was drinking.

"Seeing them happy."

"Thou art a brooding drunk, I see."

Othel snickered before a hiccup burst forth from her lips. She rested her chin against her palm, a few locks of brown hair falling away from behind her ear to stick against her flushed cheeks. She felt the overwhelming urge to touch his face. She'd only ever done so with gloves on. Othel ran her fingers over his stubble and frowned in concentration as her hand slipped around his lips and chin.

He smiled and patted her hand, peeling it away and holding it carefully. "Let's get thee into bed then."

"No, I haven't passed out yet."

Thor chuckled and took her drink away from her. She whined and reached for him, but instead of getting her drink, she got a face full of Thor's groin as she fell into his lap with a groan. He jolted slightly, and then he picked her up. The last thing Othel remembered was feeling something poking her cheek while still on the couch. She could remember nothing else.


	9. Chapter 9

Othel groaned when she tried to sit up, but it felt like her head weighed a thousand pounds. She tried to move her legs, but then she remembered…she couldn't walk. She always did that when she woke up; it was like her mind just wanted to piss her off. Opening her eyes, she stared at an unfamiliar ceiling. There was no crack in the ceiling and the mattress under her felt too new to be hers. Othel's mattress was old and lumpy, and it smelled like cigarettes. Groaning, she looked around her.

"Where the hell am I?" she asked herself.

"Thou art in my chambers."

Oh shit. Oh fuck. Othel tried to think of what happened last night. Only one person said thou in the Avengers program. Hell, he was probably the only one who talked like that. It was Thor. Othel nearly screamed and sprung upright as much as she could. Her stomach churned and her head pounded though, so she carefully lowered herself back down to the horizontal position with a whimper. No more drinking...ever. Alcohol was officially Satan's sperm. No more Satan's sperm for her. She rolled onto her side, clutching her stomach.

"Art thou alright, fair Lady?"

"I might be if you shut up," she warned. After the nausea died down, she finally looked up at Thor who was sitting on the bed beside her. "Did we...y'know?"

Thor chuckled. "Nothing occurred. I simply let thee rest in my bedchambers."

"Oh, Othie!"

"Oh, god," Othel moaned. She really hated her boss right now.

Othel grabbed her wheelchair and let Thor help her into it. She wheeled herself by Thor and into the bathroom to unload the contents of her stomach into the toilet. Thor's heavy footsteps following her filled her ears before the bathroom door opened. She was helpless and trapped as she retched into the ceramic basin. This was humiliating. Thor soaked a washcloth in cool water. Kneeling down beside her, he gathered her hair and pulled it away from her face. She stiffened and then relaxed under the cool washcloth against her neck. Rubbing her back, he waited for the heaving to stop.

"Feel better?" he asked softly, wiping her face with the washcloth.

"No. I feel like twice recycled shit."

Othel still felt drunk as her head spun. Alcohol was not her friend. Nope. It was an ex; that's what it was. She leaned forward, pressing her forehead against Thor's beefy arm that was supporting him. At least she didn't feel like throwing up anymore, but weakness and dizziness had taken over. Her body was lifted and she was being carried somewhere. She could feel Thor's pulse under her cheek.

"I think drinking does not suit thee," Thor informed her. "Sleep here and get some rest, doctor."

"I need to work," she protested, attempting to get up out of the soft…fluffy…warm bed. That was so not happening. She couldn't go anywhere since her wheelchair was in the bathroom. Besides, she was so tired…so weak.

"Not like that thou doth not," he admonished her gently, laying her back down and covering her with a blanket.

Othel held her breath when he kissed her cheek. His lips were soft; the overgrowth of hair on his chin was scratching against her skin. Getting drunk had put her in a precarious position of getting way too familiar with the enemy. Well, he was supposed to be her enemy anyway. This could not be happening to her. She hated him…didn't she?

"Just sleep. Midgard will survive another day," he assured her.

She felt too crappy to be snarky. Snuggling into the blanket, she allowed sleep to take her. A sharp pain assaulted her arm only moments after she had fallen asleep though. Shoving her arm out in retaliation, the heel of her hand made contact with something heavy and solid. A soft 'oof' echoed through the room. She sat up and looked at her arm to see a vitamin patch. Stark Industries made them. It was like getting a tattoo with the thousand needles that instantaneously shot thousands of vitamins into the system.

"Thou art quite fiery. Tis a vitamin patch. The Man of Iron was worried when I found thee still sleeping after lunch," he explained.

"Are you all right?" Othel inquired, reaching out to check his abdomen. She could feel hard muscle beneath the red and white t-shirt. She had to stay professional. If she didn't...she didn't want to think about it. Once she was sure he was alright, she sat back and let him sit beside her legs. "Fuck, I should go home."

"No. Thee should stay. Thou has not been taking care of thyself. Thou art exhausted, dehydrated, and malnourished. That's why the alcohol affected you adversely. Why didst thou not say something?" he asked, pushing her hair out of her face.

"Because you aren't my caretaker. So what if I don't eat healthy or at all and don't sleep on a regular basis? I'm a grown woman. Besides, you're a god, and I'm just human."

"Thou has too much pride, and thou art quite stubborn. I would be very sad if I lost another precious woman in my life. I have lost too many."

Othel sobered up. "Thor...tell me about Jane."

"Nay."

"If you do, I'll rest."

Thor finally conceded after pondering it for a while, apparently concerned about her well-being more than she thought. He told her first about how they met and what adventures they went on. He told her about the attack on London, and he said a lot about his brother. Perhaps he wasn't too bad of a guy after all. Maybe…maybe she could forgive him.

"Art thou tired?" Thor asked when he saw her yawn.

"A little, but I'm enjoying listening to you. Go on."

"There was...a terrible incident. She died of a horrible Alfheim fever our healers were unfamiliar with. We found a treatment only weeks after her death. If only she had not perished so early on," he said, his jaw tightening as he stared into nothing but a memory. Othel could see the muscles working in his jaw as he clenched and unclenched his teeth. She did not ask for details.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Now, it is thy turn. Tell me about thee," he said, trying to change the subject.

"You don't wanna hear that. It's way less heartwarming and boring. I'm just struggling right now to pay the bills and keep a roof over my head because of my medical bills. That's not unusual," she remarked off handedly.

She had lied to Thor in the fact that her story was mundane and uninteresting. Her story was the thing movies were made of: sex, lies, and misery for all. She had to get through school by sleeping with a professor. She thought he loved her until he started tending to others like her. Devastation could not even begin to describe the condition of her mind and emotions. Othel flinched when she felt a pair of strong hands on her shoulders.

_Thor. _

She tried to pull away, but he would not let her go. Her body was fully enveloped by his arms as he wrapped them around her shoulders and across her chest while he lay behind her. He stayed a pretty good ways away from her so as not to seem too intimate with her. "Tell me," he whispered.

Through her tears, Othel poured out the whole story. By the end, she was leaning against his chest drawing in short, shallow breaths as if she had been running a marathon. Honestly, she felt like she had run a marathon. Her eyes slowly blinked as drowsiness settled over her. Her body was being rocked, soothing her and sending her into dreamland.


	10. Chapter 10

Othel disregarded her phone when it rang for the millionth time on a cloudy Saturday afternoon. Every time she picked it up, she ended up staring at Stark's name flashing on the caller ID. Couldn't he leave her alone for just one day of the week?! Sighing loudly, she pressed ignore...again. Didn't he spend enough time pissing her off? Could he not bug his girlfriend or Fury or one of the other Avengers? Why did it have to be her of all people?!

Then there was a loud knock on her door. She chose not to answer the door because she was too busy wallowing in self-pity on her cot on the floor. The knock came again, louder and more insistent than previous. Well, surely they weren't those damn Jehovah's Witness people. Yes, she heard the good news. She didn't want to hear it from them.

"I'm coming dammit!" she yelled at the irritatingly persistent visitor. "Whatever you're selling or condoning, I'm not-" The words died in her throat when she saw all the Avengers in her doorway. "What the fuck are you guys doing here? How did you know where I live?!"

"Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" Captain America retorted.

"No. But I'll kiss you if that's your preference," she snapped in return.

She went back into her apartment, expecting them to let themselves in. They all did as soon as her back was turned. She pressed her lips into a thin line willing herself not to kill the visitors as they commented on her home. So what if she hadn't slept in two days? So what if the dark circles under eyes resembled the black eyes? So what if her house was on the bad side of town and she had no furniture?

"Jesus, Othel, how long you been living like this?"

"Since I got here. There's nothing wrong with it. Quit making a big deal out of it."

"I must agree with Anthony. Thou should not live in such poor conditions. Tis worrisome."

"Tony, have you been decreasing her pay?" Steve asked darkly. Apparently he was quite the sensitive little prick.

"What?! No! How's this my fault?"

"You're her employer and her team member," Bruce said from behind Captain Towhead. "You should be giving her some help."

"Tony didn't do anything wrong," Othel snapped, not in the mood for any kind of company. She'd rather just be alone with her thoughts. "My medical bills are...extensive to say the least. I'm on a budget to pay rent, bills, electricity and so on."

"Why didn't you say anything? I could've helped out."

"Indeed, we would most certainly have come to thy aid."

The room suddenly felt smaller as the broad-shouldered men and bitchy woman forced their way around her tiny apartment. They were looking out windows and carrying things away to some unknown destination. Natasha was on a phone and pulling out a loaded gun before slipping out into the hallway with Barton. What the hell was going on?! The way they were acting made her think there was a bomb somewhere in the building. When Banner moved to wheel her towards the door, Othel used her arms to stop him in the doorway.

"Woah, woah, woah!" she screamed. "What the fuck?!"

"The United States has been compromised. The virus is here. It's in New York," Tony said hurriedly. "Fury is flying us out to the helicarrier. It's safer there."

The sound of gunshot made them all look up. Thor and Steve dashed up as well when the sound of screeching sounded. The parasite...it was in her building. She could already be infected. Fear swept through her system. Who would continue her research?

"Shit, we gotta go" Tony grumbled. "We're about to get swarmed."

"How did I not know-"

"You never answer our calls, dumbass. Now come on before I get golden boy here to carry you."

"Mean bastard," she countered, sighing with exasperation. "You wouldn't dare."

"Try me," he threatened.

The sound of gunshots and running became more prevalent. Thor hauled her over his shoulders and started running. Othel could see parasite victims at the bottom of the stairwell. They looked so dead as they struggled to get to the Avengers as they retreated. What was happening to her life? Was this the end of the world? Would they survive this?


	11. Chapter 11

"Jane...I am sorry," Thor's voice was soft and almost pleading as he spoke. "Please…please forgive me for all I never did for thee."

He'd grown so tired over the past few short years after her death. Every day since her passing, Thor hoped for death; he prayed for it religiously to the Norns. Loki often commented on how old Thor was beginning to look. In his dreams though, he was youthful and happy. Jane was happy and full of love as she once had been before the illness took her, and every night Thor wept over her. Jane seemed unaware that in the real world she was no more. She didn't know anything had changed, and every night he would weep as he woke in a world without his precious Jane Foster. Sometimes he would skip the usual speech to plead with her in the night. Sometimes he would just embrace her and love her, but that did nothing except cause him physical agony.

This would be the final time they would be together in such a manner, Thor soon realized. Either she would accept her fate and release him from her illustrious hold, or she would turn from him once again and he would be forced to relive the agony every time he slept. The Norns seemed to favor the Golden King in only appearance. In fact, he seemed to be their favorite torture victim. Various healers commented that his health was in rapid decline; he needed to rest before he ran himself into the ground. But he couldn't rest without seeing Jane. His Jane. And she was gone…forever.

"Thor."

Thor nearly pulled back from her warm embrace. What was she doing? This certainly was not part of the usual plan. She should have forgotten about her death and run into the forest. Every thought vanished from his mind as her cold fingertips brushed against his cheek. He pressed into Jane's hand and closed his eyes, the memories returning again.

"Jane?" he murmured.

"I have been watching you, Thor. You've been so unhappy," she said softly, almost sadly. "I never wanted you to grieve so much...not over me. I'm not worth your tears, Thor."

A sob rumbled through his chest as he pulled her to him. He could hardly believe it. The moment he had his arms around her, everything blurred and spun in dizzying circles, appearing to throw them both through time and space.

"My Jane," he murmured, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs. "Jane, my love, thou art worth the tears of the Norns themselves."

"I guess I always have been, haven't I? Your Jane," she smiled. "Everything has its time. Even death and new love. You should find love again for yourself."

"W-What?"

"My friend Othel. She's pretty isn't she?"

Thor blushed and looked away. He was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Tears filled his eyes. How could he betray his own consort? His own wife? He had begun to love another, and now she was chastising him. "Forgive me, my beloved."

Then she kissed him, catching his lips with her own. It was absolute bliss. He barely thought as he wrapped his arms tightly around Jane. "Don't be sorry for moving on, Thor. I want you to be happy. You deserve it."

"I have betrayed thee, my beloved. I have tried to love another, and for that, I should die a thousand painful deaths."

"No," she kissed him. "No. I'm always going to be in your heart, Thor. You just have extra room. That's why you fell in love again. You need to be loved, Thor. Othel can love you the way you deserve. You haven't betrayed me. I'm not hurt."

"Thou...art not upset?"

Jane scoffed and smirked. "Go get her, Thunder boy."

"Thou shalt always have my love, Jane…my Jane," Thor said smiling as he stroked her cheek.

"Why don't you prove it?"


	12. Chapter 12

Othel made her way through the complex with only a clipboard to take notes. Everyone recognized her, so there was no need to show the ID that was in her pocket. She walked from room to room, noting changes in various experiments and examining new specimens until she came to her own lab. Since she was the boss, she could do that and whatever she wanted. It was nice. In her own lab there was a glass encased cube that held her patient, snarling and clacking its teeth. When her patient was alive, she was an African American woman name Joann Carter. She was a mother of four with a husband of twenty-five years. Now she was a virus patient who ate her baby and bit the rest of her family.

Her lab looked like a sterile hospital room more than a personal office and lab. It had white walls and shiny tile floors, but there was nothing in the room but lab equipment and a cot in the corner. She entered the room and stopped in the middle of it. She stared calmly at the blinding white walls, clearing her mind. Because she was not monitoring her surroundings, she didn't notice the patient had clawed the lock pad until it malfunctioned. Her reaction to the loud wrenching noise was slowed.

Othel blinked and stared confusedly at the cage, seeing nothing. Then her eyes widened as the patient lumbered out the door which she was pushing open…with her forehead. It whirled around, staring at her as it salivated. The thing was short and thick bodied and insect-like feet. The rest of its body was a mass of writhing muscle with two white eyes buried deep in its body.

Othel swore in alarm and tried to wheel to the exit, but she soon felt its claw dig into her shoulder. Shit. She grabbed the hand and used her strength to flip it over her onto the floor. What she didn't take into account was the fact that her wheelchair wasn't prepared for martial arts moves. The chair toppled over, and she spilled out onto the ground. Othel looked back and noticed her leg was bent at a bad angle. It was probably broken. Nervously, she began to scoot away. She anxiously looked around the room for the panic button. It was so damn far away. Why didn't they put more panic buttons in her lab when she had virus patients in there too?!

Othel began throwing things at the button, edging around the room. She threw books, pens, equipment, and even her own shoes. The patient was back on its feet, looking around it for her. Please don't turn around. Please, please...oh shit. Shit! Her body stiffened when she heard glass shatter, and she clenched her eyes shut. There was snarling and then a grunt before a crack of lightning filled the room. Then she was overpowered by a terrible, pungent odor of burning flesh. Did it lick a light socket?

The next thing Othel was aware of was warmth and the odor and blood and sweat. She stared up and saw Thor covering her with his body. The rest of her lab was...was charred. All of her work was gone. But Thor...he saved her. And he was bleeding; he was bitten. Oh fuck. Othel jack-knifed and grabbed Thor's arm. He was infected.

"A-Art thou alright, Othel?" he said, lifting her up slightly with his uninjured arm. She felt his thumb brush against the back of her neck.

"Shut up. Quit worrying about me, and get me to my office. You're infected."

Thor picked her up and walked to her office where her notes and a small lab were. He sat her on her desk, and Othel immediately began to clean his bite wound with her first aid kit. It sizzled upon contact with hydrogen peroxide, and it became red and hot. It was too late. What would happen to an Asgardian that was infected? Would they beat it or would it be stronger? Fear shot down Othel's spine. They had to quarantine him.

"Fury!"

"What's the situation?" he asked on the intercom.

"Thor's been bit. He's infected. Get quarantine and a clean room ready."

"On it."

Othel injected an antibiotic and then a steroid into the wound.

"Lady Othel, I shall be fine. Thou shouldst not worry so. Tis merely a Midgardian virus. I will not be affected. Thou art injured."

"You don't know that. I can't feel it anyway. Sit down."


	13. Chapter 13

Loki teleported into the SHIELD medical department, specifically the "Special Cases Unit" for non-human patients. He was in his brother's sick room within three minutes of his hearing what occurred from Heimdall, who seemed quite troubled by the turn of events on the mud ball planet. Thor had contracted some kind of disease that was always fatal to humans. Usually, his brother was in no danger of actually dying from some weakly Midgardian disease, but something was wrong...horribly so. He couldn't recall seeing his brother incapacitated in such a way. Injured, bleeding, broken, yes...but sickened by some invisible enemy he couldn't halt? Nay. It chilled Loki to the bone.

As he stood in the small bright chamber, looking down on Thor where he lay unconscious on an uncomfortable looking plank-like bed, he wondered if perhaps he was dreaming. Surely the Norns wouldn't be so cruel as to take Thor just when Loki was learning to love his brother again. Loki took a step closer. "Oh Thor, the situations you manage to get into," he muttered. "And not even with my help."

For a brief second he wondered how Thor could have picked up a Midgardian sickness, and whether he himself might be susceptible to catching it. What about his wife and his children? Were they at risk now that Thor had caught the disease?

"Brother?"

"Many fond greetings from Asgard," Loki said sarcastically. "Heimdall tells me thou art ill."

"Verily," he groaned. "Tis some monstrous thing they call a parasite. A being is feeding on me from within."

"Truly?" Loki asked. Parasites were not something Asgardians worried on. They were such a further advanced species.

"What the ever-living fuck are you doing in here?! This is a quarrantine! No people are allowed without authorization!"

Loki whipped around, his staff aimed and ready, but he saw only a woman in a Midgard wheelchair. She wore a mask over her nose and mouth, so Loki could only see her glaring brown eyes as they bore into him. She was pale for a Midgardian, and she had thick black hair. All in all she was ordinary and not worth the air she wasted. Thor on the other hand looked smitten when he saw her, though he tried to hide it. Why his brother allowed himself to be wooed by mortals, Loki would never understand. At least he had quit mourning Jane so much. He even appeared to be putting back on some of his lost weight.

"He's sick. I'm here to see to him. It hardly seems illogical or confusing. Are all mortals so stupid as thee?"

"Loki," Thor said weakly. "This is the Doctor Othel. She is the one trying to heal me and kill this damned parasite. She is very intelligent for a Midgardian."

"I can hear you!"

"That remains to be seen."

"Watch it, smart ass, or I'll infect you with something while I've got you locked in here."

She was much harsher and more brutal than Jane had been. What was it with Thor and his adoration of mortals?! Loki set about examining the machines attached to his brother. One ended in a tube sticking into Thor's arm; he followed it back to a box covered in buttons above which hung an ominous bag of amber fluid, trickling its way into Thor's system.

Instantly suspicious of poisons, he thought to pull it out from Thor's skin. "What is this?"

"It's a mix of various medications. It's worked to keep patients stable longer, but it isn't a cure for the parasite. It's like sticking a twig in a crack of a dam; it will begin to leak eventually. I'm just buying time."

"May I speak with thee elsewhere, mortal?"

"Uh...sure."

Loki followed the woman into a room filled with whirring and beeping machines. She went around the room like a protective mother hen as she touched things and looked at charts and organized papers fitfully. She was indeed intelligent for a Midgardian female. It made up for her lack of physical appearance and her disability most definitely. Finally, she turned to him with a look that said she awaited him to speak.

"How is he?"

She sagged. "The truth? The parasite has mutated in him, so this is no longer just some silly Earth virus like he thinks."

"It can attack Asgardians?" Loki asked as he paled.

"Yes. Don't worry though, it isn't airborne. It's passed through body fluids and bites."

"Very well," Loki mumbled. "I shall look for something in Asgard's texts. Perhaps we have faced this before. It would not be the first time."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I believe your people call it the Plague of Athens. It was a God-eater virus that was transferred by one of those Greek bastards to the Migardians. It also came to Asgard many centuries ago."

That seemed to leave her shocked enough that Loki could leave without having to speak with her any more. Before he left though, Loki went to visit his brother again. This time they were very serious in their discussions. They both agreed that Asgard must bar itself from Midgard until the disease died or killed everyone off. Until then...Loki was the sole ruler of Asgard. Thor could not be allowed inside when it was such a great risk. This meant the people of Asgard would likely become rebellious, and strict action would have to be taken against them. Loki never was the most well liked ruler of Asgard, but he could get the job done easily enough.


	14. Chapter 14

Othel gradually journeyed to the quarantine that held Thor. After getting air blasted and moving to a sterilized wheelchair, she entered the glass room he now spent all of his time in. Thor was wrapped up in the hypoallergenic silk white sheets on a sterile hospital bed. He had moved into the second phase of the parasite: bleeding from the sex organs and internal ocular bleeding. He was getting paler as a result, and his hair was falling out from lack of nutrients. His fingernails would start rotting off soon enough. Othel was embarrassed and nervous that she had come to watch Thor's deterioration and keep him company. He just looked so lonely being cooped up in there all by himself.

To Othel's luck, Thor began opening his twinkle-in-the-ocean blue eyes while she was checking his heart monitor, respirator, and IVs. Thor's face split into a grin when he made out Othel's figure. She smiled back gently in return. The truth was that Othel was growing fond of him. Yes, she would snap at him and be...not very nice, but there was something there that sparked her interest in him. She figured he was the same way about her.

"Many fond greetings, Othel," he greeted happily. "To what do I owe the pleasure of thy company?"

Othel was about to give an answer in a cold fashion, but she was too stressed to do so. "I wanted to keep you company. You always look lonely."

"I am truly blessed to have such company as thine. The Norns have smiled upon me," he said smiling despite the blood oozing into his catheter bag.

"Flirt," Othel snorted as she changed out his catheter bag. He had lost two pints of blood so far.

"Is that a bad trait?"

Othel blushed at the look in Thor's eyes. "It uhm...well no," she mumbled. She needed to change the subject. This was going to get awkward fast if she didn't. Thor looked so tired. "Would you like me to tell you a story? Maybe it'll...help you relax and help you sleep easier."

"Of course. I could listen to thee speak for hours."

Othel blushed as she cleared her throat. "I'll tell you one my parents told me. There was once a poor man who could no longer support his son, so he sent him away. At this time a King was at war, so the young man went to fight. When he went to battle, all of his comrades fell and when the leader was killed, the men were about to run. But the man stepped forward and cried, 'We will not let our fatherland be ruined!' Then he conquered the enemy.

"When the King heard that he owed the victory to the man, he raised him above all the others. The King had a daughter who was beautiful, but she made a vow to take no one as her husband who did not promise to let himself be buried alive with her if she died first. 'If he loves me of what use will life be to after I die?' She would do the same, and if he died first, would go down to the grave with him. This frightened away all men, but the man became so charmed with her that he asked her father for her anyway. The King consented, and the wedding was performed."

"Tis truly a noble thing to do," Thor said tiredly, staring at her as she spoke.

"They lived happy and contented with each other, and then the Queen was attacked by illness. As she lay there dead, the King remembered what he had been obliged to promise, and was horrified at having to lie down alive in the grave, but there was no escape. When the day came when the corpse was to be buried, he was taken down into the royal vault with it and then the door was shut and bolted. Near the coffin stood a table on which were four candles, four loaves of bread, and four bottles of wine, and when this provision came to an end, he would have to die of hunger.

"He gazed before him and saw a snake creep out of a corner and approach the dead body. He hewed the snake in three pieces. Then a second snake crept out, and when it saw the other dead, it went back but soon came again with three green leaves. It took the three pieces of the snake, laid them together as they ought to go and placed one of the leaves on each wound. Immediately the parts joined, and it became alive again, and both of them left.

"The leaves were left, so the King picked up the leaves and laid one of them on the mouth of his dead wife, and the two others on her eyes. And she awoke. The young King took the three snake-leaves with him when they were released, gave them to a servant and said, 'Keep them for me carefully, and carry them constantly.' A change, however, took place in his wife; after she had been restored to life, it seemed as if all love for her husband had gone. She forgot the great love and fidelity which he had shown her, and she fell for the skipper of their ship.

"When the young King lay asleep, she called in the skipper and seized him by the head, and the skipper took him by the feet, and they threw him into the sea. When the shameful deed was done, she said, 'Let's go home and say that he died on the way.' But the servant who had seen all that they did sailed after his master. He fished up the body, and by the help of the three snake-leaves, he brought the young King back to life.

"They reached the old King before the others did. He was astonished when he saw them come alone, and asked what happened. When he learnt the wickedness of his daughter couldn't believe that she could be so wicked and bade both go into a secret chamber and keep hidden. Soon the great ship came sailing in, and the woman appeared before her father. 'Ah, dear father,' she wailed, 'During the voyage, my husband became ill and died, and if the good skipper had not given me his help, it would have gone ill with me.'

"The King said, 'I will make the dead alive again,' and opened the chamber, and bade the two come out of hiding. When the woman saw her husband, she fell on her knees and begged for mercy. The King said, 'There is no mercy. He was ready to die with you, but you murdered him in his sleep, and shall receive the reward that you deserve.' Then she was placed with her accomplice in a ship which had been pierced with holes, and sent out to sea where they sank amid the waves."

"Twas truly a miraculous story," he mumbled sleepily. "I could only hope my love would do the same for me. Dying with a loved one is truly an example of love. It was…something I myself could not do."

"You should sleep, Thor. Try not to be so hard on yourself."

"Wilt thou be here when I wake?"

"I'll try to be."

"Promise me?"

Othel blushed. "Alright...I-I promise."


	15. Chapter 15

Loki really shouldn't have been awake while the moon was dancing so high in the air. He was worried though...worried for his brother and the safety of Asgard itself. He was worried for his family too. If this illness reached Asgard, Loki would have to move his wife and daughters elsewhere. He couldn't risk losing them even if it meant abandoning his post and people in Asgard. He loved them too much to lose them just as he was becoming so happy. He was in Odin's secret library scouring over documents and records.

He found it.

In the years of Buri, Thor's great grandfather, there was a creature that was named the "Soul-Eater." It started on Jotunheim and spread like wildfire to the other Realms except for Midgard because Midgardians at the time spent their days cowering in caves and under rocks like the true maggots they were. No one but Odin and Thor ever thought that mud ball was even worth naming. Buri wrote on the creature extensively once it finally reached Asgard:

_Tis a truly horrible night. Women are weeping, bodies are burning and the moon is red with the blood spilt by this monstrous being. This horrible creature...we first heard of it from Jotunheim and its peoples. It was a worm with horrid claws and a mouth of razor-sharp teeth to match. I have had my wife draw it up as best she could and added it to the records for proper research use. Tis something truly horrendous to think of or even gaze upon. I fear for the safety of my newborn son, Bor. I try my hardest to never look upon it._

Loki stood and searched for the drawing like a madman looking for his sanity. He stole information from that idiot man of Iron when he was on Midgard, so he had an image of the beastly little thing they called a parasite. If he could just compare the two images, he could know if this was truly the same thing that now afflicted his brother. Perhaps then he could aid that healer in stopping the virus within him. If it passed through realms, his family could be in grave danger. When he found it, a chill ran up his spine. It was nearly identical.

Loki darted back to Buri's writings and started frantically searching. They had to have found a cure somewhere at some time. Surely they were smart enough back then to discover some sort of salvation from this. They were Asgardian after all. He felt a spark of hope suddenly when he reached the middle of the old journal:

_We have survived this horrid beast by the hair on our necks. Twas at a great cost however. We have lost our second son to the horrible creature that was the Eater of Souls. The population of Asgard has dwindled to the hundreds. Tis the lowest it has ever been since Asgard's creation. The cure was never found for this horrid beast either. All we know is that it rests on the Realm of Midgard at its core. It has been locked away there, never to be seen again by our kind. _

_If ever our descendants face this invisible foe, I wish them the power and blessings of the Nine Realms. We were not strong enough to combat this invisible foe, but perhaps our children will find a way. They will need a true miracle to do it though. It is hidden in the homeland where we are worshipped the most. It is hidden within a temple which was erected for us, but I have wiped it form the puny memories of those beings. This way, neither the mortals nor any other being will be able to discover the horrid secret that lies within. May the Norns be merciful upon us._

Loki felt numb at such a revelation. What was happening? Buri had evidently covered his tracks well, so how had the Midgardians, a simpleton race, discovered the horrid soul-eating creature? Loki sat back in his chair and fathomed what this could mean. In the end, Loki may very well have to incinerate the entire realm of Midgard. He had to get this information to the healer and to Heimdall. Time was of the essence.


	16. Chapter 16

Thor's condition continued to deteriorate as he gained a high fever. He was hallucinating of many things that Othel couldn't understand. Mostly he seemed to be hallucinating images of deaths. Othel often had to go in and sedate him or calm him down which was quite a feat given his large size and his unwillingness to listen to her. All she could do was research the parasite in the lab next to his room while he fitfully slept. She was a miserable failure. Why SHIELD had chosen her, she would never be able to understand. If she was the best then...they were doomed. She was a pitiful excuse for a scientist and a human being.

The heart monitor in the other room started blaring quite loudly. Othel turned and saw Thor standing and rocking on the balls of his feet next to his bed. She wheeled herself into the room, and she automatically sensed electricity in the air around her. Othel had to be careful when Thor was like this; he was like a volatile atom bomb. His breathing rate was getting faster and faster. Then he started to mouth something, and seemed to get more agitated by the second. Othel couldn't hear his whispers from that distance though.

"Thor?"

He didn't answer.

"Thor, can you hear me? Remember, I'm Othel. Doctor Othel," she said as she cautiously wheeled herself closer to him.

"Dead. Dead. All dead. Dead. Loki's dead. Mother's dead. Jane's dead. Father's dead. All dead. I'm dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Never going to be alive. Always dead," he mumbled like a mantra.

"Thor," Othel grabbed his arm and shook him gently. "Thor, come on. You need to lay down."

He lay down after she finally cajoled him into sitting on the bed. He stared straight ahead as she gave him an anti-hallucinogenic. She rested her hand on his arm and said his name to him until he finally seemed to hear her. He looked at her as his breathing calmed and his milky-white eyes seemed to focus in on her.

"Othel? How long hast," he licked his lips and caught his breath. "Hast thou been here?"

"Not too long. I just came to check in. How are you feeling?" she asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"I will be fine," he dismissed. "How art thou?"

Othel chuckled. "I'm fine. You sure you're okay? Want me to give you something for the pain, to help you sleep? Do you need anything to eat or drink?"

"A little water would suffice."

Othel nodded and hurriedly fetched the water and brought it back to him, allowing Thor to drink while she helped lift his head off of the pillows. She only wished she could do more…like maybe discover the cure. She wasn't even good enough to do that though. All she could do was play nurse while he died right in front of her.

"I apologize for making thou mother me."

"Don't apologize, Thor. This isn't your fault. If anything, it's my fault you're in this condition."

"No, do not say such things. I am proud to have saved thee. I must admit, though, that I enjoy all the beautiful company I am graced with now."

Othel blushed. "Uhm...thanks."

Thor's vitals began to slow then. Othel's eyes widened and she started hooking Thor into the big time machines. He was going into the coma stage. Soon his heart would stop and he would go rogue. Why had he completely skipped the rage stage of it though? Had the parasite mutated? Othel's nerves were on edge, and there were tears welling in her eyes. She didn't want to lose Thor because she was starting to like him damn it. Why couldn't she just have one good moment in amongst all the bad? It was so infuriating and hopeless. How could she save him if she was so...so human?!

The God of Thunder gently cupped Othel's cheek as she hovered over him, trying to start up his oxygen and put on his mask. It was both tender and a way to wipe her teary eyes as she started to frantically cry. As it was, Othel was sniffling and hiccuping as she tried to get a hold on her emotions and keep Thor awake.

"Othel, I must...confess something," he said weakly.

"O-Okay."

"I have and…will always love thee just as thou art always mine to love. I do not mind the sarcasm and anger. It can be quite endearing."

Othel smacked him as his eyes started to sink shut. "No! Don't tell me that! You can't...not when I could lose you. Take it back! Don't do this to me!"

Thor just smiled. "Twill be alright, Othel. I will be..."

He was gone.

"Damn it!" Othel sobbed. "Damn you! I love you two! Fucking ass! Don't do this to me!" she whimpered and lay her head on his chest. "Thor..."


	17. Chapter 17

This. Was. Amazing.

From wherever Othel was, she could see what she thought was the entire Universe. She could see the nine realms Thor spoke of so often, countless worlds and races and trillions of stars and galaxies stretching out past what should've been oblivion. The stars twinkled brightly, some brighter than others, but all of them were equally beautiful and magnificent. Rich purples, blues, golds and reds swirled and twisted across the sky melting into the darkness around her. Othel never wanted to leave this place. No wonder Thor talked about this stuff so damn much.

"Greetings, child of Midgard," a gentle voice beckoned from behind.

Othel turned to see an older woman with intricately braided hair and a circlet on her tanned brow. She wore a gorgeous red gown with a gold belt about her waist. She held an air of grace and eloquence that many feigned to possess but never grasped. She also had a very…maternal look about her. Othel walked towards her; in her dreams, she was never crippled. She was always able to walk and dance and run. It often tortured her just to think of waking up to a wheelchair.

"Who are you?"

"I am Frigga. Mother to Thor and a Loki. Wife of Odin."

"Oh."

"Hey, Oth."

Othel knew that voice. With bewildered eyes, she turned to see her old, dead friend Jane Foster. She nearly screamed before barreling into her with a hug worthy of a grizzly bear. She hadn't seen her in such a long time. When she pulled away, she saw that Jane had a circlet on her head too, and she was wearing a dark blue dress that belonged to a Renaissance fair. She looked pretty with flowers in her hair too. She was so much prettier than Othel could wish to be. No wonder Thor married her and whisked her away. Jane just smiled and let the three of them settle into a calm silence, admiring the cosmos together.

"So uh...what's all this about? I'm...not dead am I?"

Frigga chuckled. "No. Thou art simply in a state of rest...of simply being, not feeling or dreaming."

"Uh huh," Othel said slowly.

"But I did bring thee here for a reason. I brought thee because thou art lost."

"Uh...no I'm not."

"We all get a little lost sometimes," Jane replied. "Some more than others. I know you're stuck on the virus and how you should proceed. You always were a worry-wart. I know you love Thor just as much as me too. That makes it a little more stressful."

Othel looked away, feeling guilty.

"It's okay though. I want him to be happy."

"Thanks but uh...it doesn't really make me feel better."

"Enough of that," Frigga said softly. "We have little time to aid thee. I know what thou doth fight. I know the cure."

"The cure?" Othel frowned. "Oh fuck, you mean that cure!"

Frigga chuckled. "Indeed. Behold," she said, pointing into the starry abyss.

Othel suddenly felt like she was on some freaky roller coaster. They started floating at rapid pace towards Midgard. As they got closer to Earth, their destination became clear; it was the beautiful Norway. It changed again as they neared, and it became some sort of abandoned temple in the middle of nowhere. It looked so gorgeous and archaic, but how was that supposed to assist her with finding a cure? Without much warning, the floor became like sand, and it swallowed them. There was a second chamber, and then there was a third.

It was dark, sank and foreboding. It reeked of burning flesh and chemicals, and it was cold to her. Black ethereal masses floated about the room next to skeletons on the floor. In the center of the room was a carved out bowl, kind of like an in-ground swimming pool. In it, there was a vat of green, pussy goo. It looked like a concoction of body tissue and glowing bacteria. Othel felt a gag-fest starting up from low in her belly.

"This is where the cure lies."

"Uh...you sure about that? It looks like a bad accident waiting to happen."

Frigga smiled. "Fret not, little one. All will be revealed to thee in time."

They were once again surrounded by stars, but Othel somehow knew the way to that temple from where she really was. Othel had so many questions to ask Frigga and Jane. She wanted to learn more, but that didn't seem to be in the cards for her. They gave one last smile to her as their bodies evaporated into a flurry of white lights. The essence of their very souls seemed to flitter off into the darkness of the Universe like tiny fireflies to join the stars.


	18. Chapter 18

Othel woke to the sound of loud, animalistic snarling. She was drooling over her desk before she sat up and looked towards the sound. No. Thor had changed over already? All the machines were ripped to shreds, and so were the blankets and bed sheets. It looked like a tornado hit his cell. The catheter was out and mutilated, and so were his many IVs. His eyes were milky white, and he still had most of his hair left in his head. He looked so deathly pale though. Othel nearly sobbed when she looked at him. He was looking at her too, clawing at the glass with hunger in his feral blue gaze.

She wheeled herself over to the glass with tears in her eyes. She put her hand up to the glass and watched him try to bite her, ramming his face into the glass. His pain receptors were dead. She moved her hand around on the glass, and he followed with an eerily accurate precision. Othel bit her lip as she wrote these things down before using a robotic arm to drop in a corpse arm. Thor went in for the kill and started eating like some wild animal. He was finished fairly quickly before returning to snarl at her through the glass.

"Thor?" she asked, hoping for some sign of recognition. "Thor, I'm Othel...do you remember me?"

He paused in his growling. Othel had never been so excited in all her life.

"Thor? Do you recognize me?"

His head abruptly snapped to the side like a curious dog. His muscles rippled and flexed beneath his skin as he seemed to analyze her with detail. He was breathing hard, staring at her with murderous intent in his eyes. A low growl rumbled in his throat growing until an ear splitting howl of rage erupted from his mouth as he rammed into the glass, causing a small fracture of the glass. Thank God these babies were Hulk-proof.

Othel put her hand up against the glass again to see if he recognized her. His eyes seemed to light up just for a moment. Othel suddenly wanted to cover her ears to block out the high pitched whining that rose to a keen of dejection. She felt a hand on her shoulder then. Othel looked back to see Tony looking at her with pity. She hated that look. She hated all of his looks right now. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? Why couldn't he let her drown in her own misery?

"Come get some breakfast with the gang. You need a break."

"Why?" she whispered. "Why does he have to suffer? Why do I have to like him so damn much? This is all your fault, damn it."

She knew there would be no answer from him though. Then she remembered the dream. Dear God, what was she waiting there for?! She knew where the cure was! She barreled past Tony and picked up her phone, calling for an emergency meeting with everyone involving the case. Everyone, including Tony, looked perplexed when she got there while looking a rather hot mess. She probably looked like some mad scientist on a bad acid trip. She felt like she was on acid with the way the past few days were going.

"What's this about, Doctor?" Fury asked.

"Where's Hawkboy?" she asked, looking around and counting the heads. They were missing one.

Silence. "He...tested positive yesterday. He's under intensive quarantine now," Captain America said quietly.

"Damn, he's missing out. I have great news!"

"What?" Tony asked.

"I know where the cure is!"

There was tension in the room. "You mean what, right?" Banner concluded on everyone else's behalf. "What the cure is?"

"Well actually, no. It's in Norway."

"I can confirm some of the healer's words," a voice said from behind her. "Though I am quite curious as to how she came up with such information."

"Loki?!"

Everyone started pulling their weapons, but he appeared to be acting relatively harmless given his usual antics.

"I have been searching, and it seems Asgard has faced this exact foe before...and failed. Buri, the AllFather of that time, hid it in the bowels of thy mudball of a planet."

"The virus? Gee, thanks," Tony snapped. "Typical Ass-guardians if you asked me."

"I must go to tend to my country," and with that, Loki was gone.

"So," Othel added into the quiet. "Who's going to Norway?"


	19. Chapter 19

Tony made sure the camera feed was working properly as Othel appeared in a tiny screen to his upper left. The camera was hooked into his eye slots so she saw what he did. Othel looked horrible. She looked like she hadn't slept in weeks and hadn't eaten in longer. She was writing in a journal, and the sound of zombie Thor's banging and snarling was loud in the background. She seemed to be used to it, but it was still disturbing to everyone else to see and hear Goldilocks with that look of intense rage and hate. He was usually the nicest guy in the world as long as you weren't the bad guy.

"You ready, Othel?" Tony asked.

"As I'll ever be."

Tony nodded to Capsicle and the back of the plane started to open with a slow yawn. Clint and Natasha were already waiting for Tony, Steve and Bruce on the ground with a few agents. They jumped and landed on a frozen lake, and the eagle call was a click to the West. All the while, Othel was away from the screen. Tony could hear her swearing and talking to Tony's tech angrily. When she reappeared, she squinted into the camera, probably looking at the surroundings. She always did hate his technology, mostly because it was hard to work with if you weren't used to his products.

"Okay, you need to go left at the skeleton pointing right."

Tony snorted. "You sure you haven't been using the morphine."

"Haha, very funny jackass. Just keep walking, and let me know when you find it. I'm actually trying to get some work done while you half-ass that search."

Othel wheeled herself away from the camera, and after a while, Tony could hear her breathing deeply in her sleep. At least she was resting a little. Now that she was out of the way though, Tony could see Thor in the camera background. He was snarling and banging his fists and head against the glass. There was already a hastily-resealed crack in it. Thor looked creepy with his ashen skin and those white eyes. His mouth had festered sores on them, and he looked feral. Tony shuddered and focused on walking instead of on Thor. If that's what the future was going to be, he wanted absolutely no part of it.

When they got to the freaky skeleton with an ancient knife sticking out of his head, everyone seemed to change their attitude. This was no longer a goose chase; this was a mission to save humanity no matter how cheesy that may have sounded. Tony woke Othel up despite how much he knew she needed the sleep.

She looked at the screen and nodded. "Get the knife, and go around the boulder."

"Uh...that's a cliff."

"There's a cave."

The sound of a screech made everyone, even Natasha the suer-spy, jump. There was a pack of infected people staring at them from within the trees. After making a run for their lives, they jumped and found the massive cave Othel was talking about. There were skeletons everywhere with the same gash in the sternum as all the others. They were all sacrifices of some sort obviously. They started looking around for something, anything…that would help them find the cure.

"Stark, quit moving around!"

"Sorry. See anything familiar?"

"I can't tell," she mumbled. "I saw it from an aerial view."

"No problem," Tony said, activating the levitation feature in his boots. He hovered and noticed a picture carved and then painted in the floor. It was of a woman surrounded by runes and decapitated bodies. "Damn, who's that?"

"It's Frejya. She aids warriors into the afterlife apparently. Hey, what's that?"

"What?"

"In her eye, dumbass," Othel snarked off.

Tony landed and noticed it was a slot like for a key. Natasha came over and noticed, immediately taking photo recon. She used the knife and inserted it when they noticed the shapes were quite similar. That's when the freaky shit started. First, something started groaning from behind the altar, and it slowly started to get louder. Then there was a sound of scuffling against rock. Everyone looked to the entrance and watched silently. An upside down head suddenly popped into the entrance. The infected were crawling down the cliff.

"Shit! That's some freaky stuff."

"Damn," Bruce grimaced as the Hulk came forward. Those infected people scared the Hulk out of him. Tony almost snickered at his own joke.

While he was changing, everyone else started fighting. They couldn't have a zombie Hulk running around. If that happened, they might as well just commit suicide. They stopped their fighting though when the Hulk starting pounding into the floor. It started to crack and crumble, and then they were falling hard and long. At least they got away from those infected people. That was Tony's last thought for a while.

"Tony! Tony! Yo' Stark, wake the fuck up!" a screaming Othel said as she woke him. She was like a fucking banshee. "If you make me have to tell Pepper, I swear to God I'll crucify you!"

"I'm up, I'm up. Where are we?"

"The next floor, the Frigga level."

"Hey, that's Thor's-"

"Tony!" Capsicle yelled. "Are you alright?! Where are you?!"

"Right here under a rock. Taking a nap and shit," Tony grunted. "Let's rest here."

"I concur," Nat said as she helped Cap pull Tony out. It looked like Bruce was out of commission since he was knocked out and human again.


	20. Chapter 20

_**TRIGGER WARNING: Dub-con themes**_

"Activate magnet," she said in front of the door. She had her gloves and syringe at the ready. When Thor got snagged, he started roaring and snarling as he became more irritable. Othel could already see the cuffs moving around on his wrists. She didn't have much time. "Unlock door."

Othel went in and hurriedly stuck Thor in the hip. He lunged as best he could, clacking his teeth and struggling to break free and get her. He was smart too. He nearly had one of his hands out already by shifting his wrists. Swearing, she wheeled herself to a sharps container and put it away. As she removed her glove, she sensed something watching her.

Thor was just standing there, frozen, transfixed on her...and loose. She could see his erection jutting from between his hip bones under the hospital gown. Oh fuck. He was supposed to skip that part. His hair hung down to the hard planes of his shoulder blade, like a blond Tarzan with roid rage. Othel realized she wasn't breathing and gasped. He stiffened, and their eyes locked onto each other with eerie intensity.

"T-Thor?"

That seemed to break the stillness. Thor snarled and hurled himself at her. Othel braced herself when he grabbed her. Her wheelchair fell over, and Othel spilled out with a cry of pain. He dragged her away and onto her back and knelt over her. Shit, shit, shit! She reached up to shove him, but he growled at her. His massive hands bunched her tshirt and jeans before ripping it all off like a wet bandage. Thank God he ignored her cast on her leg.

"Initiate emergency action!"

"Please give your code."

"Oh fuck it. 50890993165. Ahhhhhh!"

"I'm sorry, please repeat."

Thor's mouth felt like hot wet fire when he bit into her shoulder. She could feel his teeth sinking into her like she was made of nothing but playdoh. Blood started oozing down onto the floor and onto her chest. She tried to push Thor off of her with renewed vigor.

"Thor...fuck, Thor! Come on, just one moment of clarity. Come on!"

Tears welled up in her eyes as he moved to bite her leg. Then he seemed to change his approach entirely. He started humping her legs until he was in between them, and then he was in her. He was inoculating her in a completely hot, fucked up way. This wasn't how she wanted their first time to be with him. She was ashamed that she still found it so damn hot thoughPart of her wanted to panic and struggle, but the scientist in her wouldn't let that happen. The scientist in her reminded her coolly that she trusted her data. Virus patients never bit to kill, just to infect. Once infected, they generally left the victim alone. Strangely enough it was also the scientist in her that was intrigued by him.

Her breath hissed through her teeth raggedly. He never seemed more huge than now while he was over her. She gasped for breath, and whimpered into her bitten lip. She quivered, panting, and tried her best to push back against him.

What a way to have first time sex. Jane was probably up in Heaven laughing her ass off at the irony. His hands pushed down on her hips, holding her still. She couldn't struggle, for fear of harming either of them. She couldn't get away, as he was too strong. She could do nothing but lie there, spitted on his enormous erection, and submit. She felt invaded, violated...possessed. His hips slammed against her, and at the same time he leaned forward and licked her wounds with his already bloody mouth. She heard him snarl and he bit on her other shoulder, her body jolted by his intense pounding. Her head was spinning. His rhythm faltered, and he roared when he emptied himself in her. She sobbed when he slipped slowly out of her, because she knew he didn't mean to do this. This wasn't Thor. She turned away as best she could, and she went to pieces.

Oddly enough, he curled up beside her and started to cuddle and lick the blood from her wounds. Othel felt wrung out, drained, more naked than she'd ever been before. However, having Thor there with her actually seemed to comfort her. Was she sick because of that? Maybe.


	21. Chapter 21

Othel groaned as she slowly woke up. What time was it? Why did her bed feel so fucking hard? And why was she so hot? It felt like she was in a sauna. She needed to get to work on that parasite cure before it got much later in the day. Maybe she could make some pancakes, wait...oh yeah. Thor kinda inoculated her with the parasite last night. That sucked ass. So...did that mean she was still on the cell floor with Thor? Wait, where was gargantuan anyway?

_Sniff, sniff, sniff._

Othel grunted and moved away from the nose skimming up against her face. Guess that answered that question then. Apparently Thor was like an oversized puppy now that he slept with her and bit her. He didn't even buy her dinner.. As if her life wasn't bad enough.

_Sniff, sniff, sniff. Whine._

Thor nuzzled and sniffled and nudged against her head. Well what the fuck did he want?! A belly rub? A scratch behind the ears? Why wouldn't he leave her the fuck alone?! She felt like she had a...a hangover. Oh damn. Othel was infected. He took the strap of her blood soaked bra in his teeth and started pulling, frantically letting out little grunts.

"Alright! Alright! Stop, goddamn it! I'm up, ya happy now?! Geez, is it too much to ask for a little extra sleep?!"

Thor was hovering over her with eyes full of concern...at least, what she thought was concern. Maybe he just wanted to fuck again. He cocked his head to the side. It was interesting watching those big blue eyes observing her. Apparently after inoculation of a victim, patients were no longer hostile to them. It didn't do her much good though to be on the floor with this information. Othel tried to reach for her wheelchair, but she felt utterly drained. Useless. Thor crawled over to lick the tips of her fingers before biting on them.

"Ow! Stop that, damn it!" she snarled, eyeing him. She softened up though. He was absolutely gorgeous when naked. That ass had to be illegal. And all those muscles! She wanted to lick those with chocolate and caramel syrup.

Then Thor was suddenly lowering himself down onto her, his head on her belly. He draped a warm, thick arm around her thighs, as if trying to keep her still. It's not like she could run anywhere anyway; her legs didn't work. Shit. She needed to get out of there.

"AI, call Director Nick Fury."

"Now calling Director Nicholas Fury."

"Fury," the director said.

"I need help. Thor…he's got me hostage sorta. I'll need blood tests, a pelvic exam, and a sterilization bath. You're gonna need a few people too."

"What happened?"

"You don't wanna know."

"I'm sending a crew down now. We'll keep this quiet."

Phil and his team ran in the room guns a-blazin' only five minutes later. They seemed shocked that she was partially naked, so she assumed Fury didn't tell them everything she had relayed. Phil immediately dashed to the key pad on the cell, and that's when the shit hit the fan. Thor automatically became a big ball of eternal rage, wrath, and fury.

"You distract him. I'll drag myself out."

Phil nodded and started tapping the glass like a kid would in front of an aquarium. Thor seemed to be angrier than usual as he rammed himself into the glass. Othel took her chance and started dragging herself towards the door. As soon as it opened, someone grabbed her under the arms and pulled her out as the doors were shutting. A robe was draped over her as she relaxed.

Thor heard the swish and realized Othel was no longer in the cell with him. He started fighting, and then he started whining like a giant dog. Eventually he just paced the room. Now Othel could relax a little bit.

**I made Thor more dog/feral with the virus because the survival instincts are usually to eat, find a "nest" and reproduce. If you disagree, that's fine. I obviously don't care. ;P**


	22. Chapter 22

"Woah, Othel, what the hell happened to you? You look like hell."

Othel glared at the screen. She knew she looked like shit, but did he really have to remind her? Did he do this sort of shit to Pepper on a daily basis? How did she deal with this moron? Othel grimaced and rubbed her temples slowly. This whole getting pissed thing wasn't working out so well for her.

"I'm infected, Stark. Keep your voice down."

"Damn. Well, we've gone down another two levels like you said to. There's some pretty creepy shit around here," he said giving her a panoramic view of the circular shaped room.

"Well, duh, you're in the Ymir room. Ymir was like the father of evil…sort of."

"I have no idea what that means. So hey, you started bleeding from your vagina yet?"

Othel had chosen an inopportune time to take a drink of alka-seltzer filled water. It was safe to say her nose would be feeling singed for the next hour. "Goddamn it Stark!" she coughed out. "That's none of your damn business."

"I'm your boss. I'm inclined to know."

"You want me to slap you with a few sexual harassment lawsuits?"

"Hey!" Othel heard Romanov, aka the bitchy ca-ca, yell. "Focus. What do we do now, Dr. Cromwell?"

"Start looking around the room for anything interesting."

Othel watched as Tony panned around the large antechamber. She told Tony to stop when she saw the altar towards the west end of the chamber. She had him walk up and start analyzing it. The walls were covered in carvings of beings battling and devouring each other alive. Then she saw a gold-embedded carving of a cyclops of sorts. Othel saw it holding a baby monster thing. Turning, Tony showed her the altar. It was covered with runes except in the center. In the center, there was a carved out cube. Captain America called their attention suddenly. The carvings in the floors weren't caked with paint; they were caked with dried up blood.

Everyone observed the center and saw the funnel. Whatever was beneath Ymir's altar had to be their answer to all of their problems. They just had to get to the answer inside. Everyone started to smash and blow up the floors, but when it finally caved in, no one was really prepared for what awaited them down below. It was like entering the bowels of hell.

The room, according to Tony's AI, was filled with a gaseous chemical compound that escaped with a loud whoosh. It was the decomposing gases of human tissues and organs. There was a circle of bodies surrounding a great big vat of glowing, bubbling, pus-and-blood colored liquid. It looked almost like something from a bad sci fi movie. But this shit was real. Really real.

The circling bodies were on their knees, bent down like they were bowing on their faces to the sickening vat of goo. The freshest one seemed to be three months old: about the amount of time the parasite had been out in the modern world.

"His pituitary is missing," she said as she had Dr. Banner peeling open the hole in the skull like a boiled egg.

"Some of these bodies are wearing things from the BC eras."

Othel looked away from the screen as Thor started to growl and bang on the glass. Since Othel had put herself under quarantine until further notice, she had been letting him out to roam around the room. Most of the time he just kept a close watch on her and followed her around. He had a habit of biting on her neck and locking his jaw in place.

She decided to let him out by remote and looked down. Fuck, the bleeding was starting much faster than she expected it to. That's what she got for contracting a parasite from a Norse god. She turned the screen offline for a little while and changed into hospital scrubs with a tampon and pad which, at that rate, would be drenched in two hours.

When she got back, Tony looked at her for a little while, blinking as if he were shocked. What? Was there something on her face? "You look worse."

"Oh, gee, thanks," Othel snapped. "You talk to your girlfriend like this."

"Well-"

"What's the plan?" Captain Tighty-Whities barked. "Stay focused."

"Get me 45 big-boy vials of that pus stuff. Come back as soon as you can, I have an idea for how I can get a cure cooked up."


	23. Chapter 23

"Thor, seriously, go lie down. I need to work," Othel wheezed as she sat at her desk. Well, sit was a broad definition. She was…draped over her desk. She had an oxygen mask hooked up to her wheelchair with the mask strapped loosely to her face. Thor had been rubbing up on her like a giant puppy since she let him roam around earlier in the day. He hardly even budged. Typical stubborn jackass.

She attempted to steer the huge blonde towards the bed—her in-office bed—because Thor absolutely refused to lay in his cell. He was no moron. He soon realized that if he stayed out of the cell, Othel couldn't get away from him. Thor twisted around, breaking out of her already loose hold. He stumbled on his feet, but he managed to keep his balance fairly well even if he was close to dying. Thor was very strong, and it was impossible for Othel to take control of the situation. Othel sighed, overwhelmed at the whole debacle.

Finally, Othel just gave up on getting Thor contained and opened up her laptop. She needed to make an entry before she got too sick to do anything at all…like breathe. Whoever took on her job would need this information to carry on the research. She shuddered and pulled her blanket up over her shoulders for warmth. She typed something in and winced. Her nail fell off onto the keyboard with a small click. It was her last fingernail left. The next symptom was wrath or lust and then...death. She wasn't an Asgardian like Thor, so she was affected like everyone else. She was human...nothing special.

When the video started, she moved her oxygen mask and looked at the screen. "My name," breath. "Is Dr. Othel Cromwell, and this is my," breath. "Final message while working on the SHIELD case. The parasite," breath. "Has otherworldly origins. It seems to come," two breaths. "From Asgard which is where the Avenger Thor and criminal Loki reside. The samples the Avengers are bringing may contain a way to stop the parasite. From the AI's," Othel wheezed and covered her mouth with the oxygen mask, panting for a few brief minutes. "From the AI's findings, it looks like a massive mix of human sweetbreads and organs. It's a primitive form of inoculation. This could be huge that," breath. "Primitive people knew of this method.

"As for me," she felt a knot of emotion rise in her throat. "I don't know if I'll make it long enough to see this cure through. I don't really know...if I want to make it. This is it I guess," she said as she turned off the video and shut her laptop.

Othel turned and felt her strength leave her as she tried to wheel herself to the cot in the far corner after fixing her oxygen mask in place. She sighed and wondered where Thor...oh, there he was. He was standing right behind her, watching her closely. Those eyes held no hunger or rage; she was infected after all. Maybe she could lie to herself as she died and say it was a look of love in his eyes. No, she wouldn't fool herself any more than she already had. Othel started pulling off her jacket and scrubs to put on a hospital gown and robe instead.

Othel moaned as she dropped herself onto the cot, and she was almost immediately covered by Thor as he nuzzled his head into her neck, biting into where neck meets shoulder as he got comfortable. He slept with his teeth embedded in her skin as per the usual. Othel petted Thor's head, stroking her fingers through the patches of blonde hair, hoping it would make him sleep. She was so tired.

Othel blinked rapidly to clear the tears that suddenly pricked her eyes. "Thor," she breathed. "I hate loving you so damn much. At least we'll...we'll die together. Like in my story. I won't leave you alone though."

Othel stared up at the ceiling with the thought of eternal sleep on her mind. Thor was still latched onto her neck, but he was awake, sniffing her occasionally like he was making sure she was still alive. Is this what Jane felt like as she lay dying? She shut her eyes and started to dig at her skin. It felt like it was loose and squirmy. She felt as if worms and spiders were running up and down all over her. Off. She wanted to get it the fuck off. Under her fingernails there was her blood, and her scratched arms were oozing pus onto the sheets.

There was no relief.

Her stomach rumbled from hunger. She hadn't moved in two days. She didn't want to eat though. She had cravings for frozen, raw meat. She wanted to hunt something down and rip it to shreds. It made her salivate at the delicious thought. It scared her though. She was so lost in her mind and her fever that she never noticed the door opening. Thor was attacking the newcomers almost instantly. Stark's remote controlled suits were used to pin him to the wall. Othel barely moved her head to look at the commotion. She felt like she was under water.

"Othel," Bruce snapped in front of her eyes as he examined her. "Othel, look at me. Othel! Wake up! You need to stay with me. Othel!"

"I'm...up," she whispered.

"How is she holding up?"

Bruce looked concerned, but Othel could only barely comprehend what was happening to her. "Not good. She's malnourished and dehydrated. She's looking like she's about to go comatose if we don't hurry."

Othel's teeth were so sore. She needed to chew something.

"You're nearly dead," Banner mumbled as he started putting IVs and shots in her system. She saw Steve with the vials and had Bruce carry her to her lab.

It only took four more hours for her to declare the mix a cure. It was a mix of sweetbreads, magic, and healthy bacterias. After that, all the personnel were injected, and companies started to make them en masse for worldwide distribution. A weight seemed to lift as she saw Thor's heart starting up after electric currents were thrown through him. She even let out a soft cry of relief. Everyone was cheering, and they all looked so happy. She had actually done something good.

_It's time._

Othel felt a switch shut off inside her. She felt herself falling into herself, but she was swallowed by darkness. She had done her duty in saving the world. She sacrificed her life for the good of Earth...and Thor. That was going to be her only regret: leaving Thor behind. Her head was swimming as she continued to sink further into the darkness. People were carrying her, screaming at her to hold on, pumping her with electricity and putting a tube down her throat.

She didn't want to hold on though. She was so tired. She was only a human after all. Didn't she deserve to rest in peace? Othel could feel a meaty hand squeeze her own weakly. Maybe she could talk some more to Jane and Frigga now.


	24. Chapter 24

Electric blue eyes stared at the figure lying prone in the white bed. Thor observed as Othel's eyes moved under her eyelids, as if in some horrid dream she couldn't stir from. Days and months were passing her by as she slept on without recollection of what occurred. Thor smoothed non-existent creases from the pile of blankets that engulfed her eerily still form. In a move that had become all too familiar, he brushed his fingers through her hair affectionately, as he spoke in a mix of petulant demanding and shameless begging.

"Please Othel," he croaked into her ear softly. "Please say something Othel...open thine eyes." In the depths of the words was a hollow ache.

Thor wasn't sure which healer had decided that five months was a proper lapse of time for Othel to recover from this deep sleep. They were all fools. Even Anthony and Bruce called them all fools, so it wasn't just Thor and his beliefs. The healer-maids started to bandy terms such as "long-term care" and "facility" even while Thor was in the vicinity. Thor had barely been able to restrain his own temper as Anthony snarled and screamed at them. She was the savior of Midgard, and they wanted to push her aside like she was an injured horse to be put down.

"I...was told what I did unto thee. I'm a despicable, horrendous, creature. I do not deserve to live. I will follow thee into death, but I would rather we be alive together in the present."

Othel was still unresponsive, either trapped within her own mind or…no, she had to be trapped. The alternative was too awful to contemplate even for him. There was no other option for her. Everything would be fine. Ignoring the fact that the bed was quite tiny, Thor plastered himself to Othel's side. He didn't know if he could go on after losing a second love. Were the Norns truly so cruel to him? He curled impossibly closer, wishing she would reciprocate his affections or at least show him she was awake.

Thor was tired, worried and lonely. Sick, angry, guilty, ashamed, upset. Devastated. He was all of these things and so much more. Thor wanted nothing more than to continue living his life from the armchair beside her bed or perhaps from within the bed alongside her.

"Please Othel, let me see thine eyes. Kiss thine lips. At least one last time so that I may continue living in a state close to normality."

Othel knew she was dreaming, or rather, she knew she wasn't really awake. The dreams came and went, as did her lucidity and comprehension of what went on, but she just couldn't seem to wake up no matter how hard she tried. In her better moments, she could hear things around her. She could feel her body, but she couldn't move. Sometimes she could only hear vague noises, but other times, she could hear him.

_Thor._

His voice was soft and deep. It rumbled like thunder on a beach, and Othel often wondered if he had a rough day or a sleepless night. She wondered why he bothered to stay by her side when she had nothing to offer. He was a god; she was only human. Most of the time, Othel just heard sound. The words escaped her, but the voice washed over like a warm wave. Other times, she could understand the words. She clung to them like they were a lifeline.

In her dreams, she was wide awake. She would walk, talk, dance and see her own happiness in her own eyes. It didn't hurt as much as she thought it would...to see herself happy. She dreamt of a garden filled with the softest green and blue grass and blooming flowers she had never seen before. She dreamt of flying in Thor's arms. Most of the time, she dreamt just of Thor and his smile.

Othel didn't realize it at first. The change was gradual, but she understood Thor's voice more often than not. She heard Thor's anecdotes and explanations of Asgardian politics. He even told her that when she got better, he would whisk her away to Asgard with him. She'd like that. She'd like to meet the people he spoke of and see what he saw.

With her increased lucidity, however, she became quite frustrated. She found herself screaming at her toes, fingers and eyes to move goddamn it! She could feel all the tubes in her body. One day, she could see pink-orange light through her eyelids. Someone held her hand as they hummed. It sounded so wonderful. When he stopped, she wanted to protest, but all she could do was squeeze weakly at the hand enveloping her own. It was more like a twitch than it was a squeeze. It was exhausting, but she felt an overwhelming sense of pride when Thor cried out and kissed her and called for a doctor.

They immediately started doing tests on her which irritated her to no end. Apparently she had been there long enough for them to stop and marvel every move she made. They would ask questions and tell her to twitch any of her fingers and squeeze their hands if she could hear and understand them. Sometimes she heard and understood, but she just couldn't move. She wanted to sob in frustration. She was there! Please don't leave!

"I'm here, Othel. Thou art doing so wonderfully. I am so proud of thine accomplishment."

Othel wanted to hug him close.

Days and weeks seemed to go by, and Othel started to make sounds. They were more like newborn mewls, but Thor seemed proud of her despite the fact. She cried for the first time that day because she couldn't make progress. After so much work, she couldn't even open her eyes. She was pathetic! Arms wrapped around her, lifting her up from the bed. She felt like dead weight.

"My dearest, do not weep. All is well. Thou art doing so well, my beloved. Do not give up when thou hast only just begun."

Othel's breathing started to become labored, and then she opened her eyes.

Her vision was blurry, but she could see tan skin and armor engulfing her vision. She made a noise akin to a kitten, and Thor pulled back to look at her. She couldn't keep her eyes open for very long though. She just wanted to see his eyes again. They were so pretty. Thor whispered choked praises and affections against her hair, rocking her like she was a baby.

"Welcome back, little one."


	25. Chapter 25

Othel was beside the bed brushing her hair with the silver brush, comb, and mirror set that Thor had brought her from Asgard only a few weeks ago. He got it as a celebration because she actually woke up from her coma. She couldn't remember anything about it though. Othel picked up the treasured items carefully and took them to her bedside table where they would rest until morning. The windows to her new quarters in the Avengers Tower with Thor were tall and wide. The rest of the room looked like a den from a Viking movie. The bed was covered in furs, there was a massive fireplace and the doors were oak.

"Othel?" Thor walked in, startling her. "Art thou here?"

Othel glared at him momentarily, her angry eyes meeting his gentle and loving gaze briefly before turning. If she looked at him much longer, she would give in to the warm feelings trying to rise to the surface. She felt she needed to be angry with him for at least a little while longer after hearing that the Norns expected her to produce a child before she was allowed into Asgard. Stupid twats. Her body bristled due to the proximity of his when he sat beside her wheelchair.

"I have made thee something as a betrothal gift," Thor explained in his deep soothing voice.

Damn him. She was trying so hard to be irate with him even though it wasn't technically his fault that they were in this predicament. Turning to him, she allowed herself to be drawn into his charm. Her breath caught in her throat when he showed her what it was. It was a circlet made of gold with what looked like rubies incrusted in it. It had a beautiful crystal with a shimmering light inside it that hung in the center where it would rest on her forehead. Thor handed it to her before lifting her into his lap. She could feel her resolve crumbling and her body relaxing against him when he pressed his chest to her back. His hand pressed against her cheek gently, and her breath was becoming labored and heavy.

"I had this made by the dwarves. That crystal," he told her, kissing her neck. "Contains the remnants of a dying star of Vanaheim called Ringelendr."

"Oh, Thor," she murmured, gulping loudly.

"I love thee, Othel. I'm sorry for these circumstances. I'm sorry I can do nothing more," he apologized, kissing her neck again as his fingers slowly glided down. "Please do not be cross with me any longer. I could not bear it."

"I'll think on it," she informed him stubbornly, biting her lower lip to hold back the moan that wanted to escape when he started undoing her shirt buttons.

Thor chuckled. "Thou canst not fool me, my beloved."

Othel wanted to be livid with him just for his arrogance and self-importance. She found it impossible to feel anything but love and unmistakable lust as he kissed her into oblivion though. Her fingers shook as they slowly undid the trousers he wore. A plaintive moan of longing passed her lips only to be stifled by his mouth that was covering hers hungrily. For a brute, he kissed quite elegantly…almost like one would expect from a girl. It made it no less hot though.

Thor turned her to face him, shifting her legs carefully behind him. After using lubrication, Thor slid into her as he cupped her behind in his large hands. Othel sighed happily as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and Thor grinned like a cocksure guy usually does. Pleasing her in every way had become one of his fondest goals, and he often told her so. Othel smiled upon hearing his sudden intake of breath followed by a declaration of her incredible beauty and his love for her. He was a captive of an altogether different sort.

"Thor," Othel groaned, twisting her fingers into his long dark hair as his fingers dug into her breasts.

Opening her eyes to look at him, she thought he was absolutely beautiful as he virtually glowed in the muted light from the fire. Her eyes reveled in the sight of his long blonde lashes lying against his perfectly flawless cheeks. His full lips, the color and soft texture, were slightly parted as he emitted moans of ecstasy because of how she was making him feel. This emotional connection was like her version of an orgasm. Knowing she was this close with someone she loved...it really did it for her.

"Othel, my love," he whispered, kissing her as he released inside of her.

She wrapped her arms around his body, hanging on to him as her body was overwhelmed with pleasure as if she were in the ocean. She felt like a small child, helpless and protected, as he held her and lifted her further up onto the bed until her head rested against one of their pillows. A soft fur was laid over her body to keep her warm as she snuggled into his chest.


	26. Chapter 26

Othel was was getting dizzy from nerves alone. She was about to be bound to Thor for, well, eternity. It was like her stomach was using her insides as a makeshift bouncy house. Sighing with exasperation, she turned her anger to an applicable target: Tony. That dumbass had invited all of STARK Industries and SHIELD to see her get hitched. The press and paparazzi were there too. Not cool. This thing was supposed to be private. Seeing as she was kind of famous now though, Tony couldn't keep "their fans" in the dark. Bastard.

"Othel, it's time to go!" Tony announced, barreling into the room without knocking.

"Stark, you asshat! What if I hadn't been dressed yet?"

"Then I would be a very happy boy right now, wouldn't I?" he replied, smiling lecherously.

"Moron."

Othel could see the ghost of a smile playing at the corners of her employer's lips. She smiled herself and allowed Tony to wheel her out of the room in her dress. Her happiness stopped a few minutes later when they entered the massive room full of people. At the front of the room stood Thor with his brother Loki. To the left of Thor, there was an owlish looking woman in Asgardian clothes surrounded by small children. She had a small toddler in her arms. That must have been Loki's wife...was it Sàga? On Thor's leg, a child clung with odd red eyes. That must have been Thor's niece, Narfi. He talked about them quite a lot when even mentioning Asgard.

Othel breathed an audible sigh of relief when Thor announced they would begin. She was already socially exhausted and could hardly bear the thought of meeting any of the thousands of people that surrounded her. Wow, she was an introvert. Though, her weariness could quite possibly be from everything in general about this day. Tony patted her hand before letting her wheel herself over to the god who would be her husband. Before she could smile at him though, small hands were wrapped around her. It was the little Narfi girl.

A giggle escaped her lips. "Nice to meet thee, Aunt Othie," she whispered.

"Um…yeah. Okay."

Loki cleared his throat and raised a paternal eyebrow, effectively sending the child back to the rest of her gaggle. Without a word, Loki then placed hers and Thor's hands together, palm to palm. Othel watched with fascination as he bound their hands with a magic purple ribbon. Her eyes met Thor's and she smiled shyly, lowering her eyes to floor as a blush tinted her cheeks. Then the ribbon dissolved into their skin, leaving a cold, tingling feeling.

Thor then pushed the cool smooth stem of a golden chalice into her palm. Her mouth watered from the pungent scent of the wine wafting to her nose alone. Taking her cue from Thor, she raised the gleaming cup to her lips and sipped. The taste was like nothing she had experienced on Earth; it was sweet and bitter all at once with a smoothness that felt good in her mouth and made her want to drink more. No wonder some of these Asgardians looked so rosy cheeked. Once again following his movements, she extended it to him, placing it against his lips for him to drink. She gladly sipped from his cup not only to taste the sweetness of the wine but also to signify their unity and willingness to share their life. The cup fell from her fingers and the wine spilled across her feet and the bottom of her dress though. Dizziness overtook her and weakened her knees causing her to slump forward in her chair.

"What…is happening to me?" she asked in confusion, unable to focus her eyes on Thor's face. He lifted her up in his arms carefully. "I can't…can't feel anything."

"Thou art changing," he said calmly, kissing her lips. He held her as her body began to seize.

"Wh-what do you mean?" she inquired, feeling the jerky, spastic movements of her body. Her body felt hot on the inside yet frigid on the outside.

"Thou art becoming one of us."

"What?"

"Thou shalt be immortal. An Aesir. My Queen. Didst thou expect to continue living as a mortal when you ate the fruit of Idunn's trees?"

Idunn's tree? Is that what that wine was supposed to be? It had never crossed her mind that such a thing would happen. She never really expected to be immortal either. Othel reached up to touch Thor's face as a blinding light surrounded her and slowly shrouded him from her view. Her eyes closed to block out the light and the pain it was causing as it seared into her bones. She lost consciousness and fell limp in his arms, but she could hear everything. She felt trapped in her own body. Her eyes were open, but they were unseeing.

"Loki, what is happening? This is not normal."

"Take her to thy bedchamber," a smooth but lightly worried voice muttered. Was that Loki? He sounded different. "Stay with her until she wakes. Her body does not seem to be handling the elixir well," he remarked.


	27. Chapter 27

"What is going on? I don't understand," Thor murmured, bathing Othel's sweaty face with the cold, wet cloth. "She is burning like the sun and barely breathing."

"She's still not any better?" Loki asked.

"No...I fear for her life."

"You gave her a drink that could be harmful, and you didn't tell us?!" Tony snapped. "What kind of fucked up-"

"Be silent, fool," Loki growled.

"Like hell I will, Othel can be a bitch, but she's still like a sister to me."

"Do not speak of my wife in such a manner, Anthony," Thor snapped. "If thou were my subject, I could have thee executed."

"Good thing I'm from good ol' Earth then, huh, Pointbreak?"

"I think I can help," Loki informed irritably. He sat down on the bed beside Othel, staring at her with deep concentration as if reading a book in a foreign tongue. "Her soul is at war with itself. Her mortality and immortality are battling for dominance," he explained, closing his eyes and rubbing them.

"Look what you did!" Tony barked.

"What do we do?" Thor questioned, ignoring the Man of Iron as usual.

"You fucking apologize, that's what. We just got her back, and now you put her under again! Look, Thunderpants, I-"

"I will not tell thee to be silent again!" Loki roared.

"Thor?" Othel weakly croaked, drawing everyone's attention.

Thor took one of her hands in his carefully. He pushed back the damp hair framing her face as his lips turned up in a joyless smile to return her feeble grin. Then her breathing ceased completely and the room filled with an unnerving silence.

"No," Thor whispered. He had just gotten her back. "No, no, no," he hung his head and closed his eyes as the hurt and sorrow crept into his body like parasite. His sobbing was the only sound in the room. How could this have happened? How could he let her die like he let Jane?! "Othel, no."

Othel took a deep noisy breath, sucking in as much air as possible into her lungs. Everyone and everything went stock still. She sat up in the bed glancing around in confusion.

"W-What happened? What's wrong? Thor, why-" her questions were abruptly cut off by Thor's lips covering hers. Thor held her against him, holding her tightly as if a malevolent thing might return and steal her away again. He rocked her in his arms, speaking some foreign tongue against her mouth as he kissed and breathed into her. That's when Othel yelped. There was a kid sitting on her shin...and it hurt. It hurt! Othel pushed Thor away and scrambled to stand. She could feel her toes and stand. She started to scream and cry and immediately tackled Thor, careful of his niece that was nearby. Tony even piled on. They were a big dysfunctional family again. Othel thought her face might break from smiling so much.

"Oh god, god, fuck," Othel hissed, her head dropping down onto Thor's stupidly broad shoulder. No matter how many gasps of air she dragged in though, it was not enough; she couldn't breathe. He reached up, his hand engulfing the small of her back and tilted his mouth to pant harshly into her lips.

"I am hurting you," he sounded like the words were torn from his throat. He made a sound like he was choking. "I cannot...Othel, thou art still getting used to feeling. W-We should not-"

"No, don't, stop," she clenched her teeth and sucked air. "Oh damn, you're huge."

"Thou art…so tiny. I feel as if...as if I will break thee."

Othel forgot to explain that paralysis caused the vaginal muscles to not work properly and weaken. That made her likely seem looser than now since that fruit worked a miracle she prayed for for so many years. He didn't move an inch, held himself still since she told him not to move until she said so, but his cock twitched inside her. She clamped down in surprise.

"Othel. By the Nine," he moaned.

She clenched around him again, on purpose this time, groaning deep in her throat as her body lit up in response. She felt like she had licked a live wire. He yelled something in a language that she had never heard, and she moaned as his tongue found its way into her mouth. He spent what felt like hours preparing her, and even that was almost too much. His are the hands that wield weapons, and she felt every callus against her. Fuck, his fingers were so thick; they stretched her nearly to the point of breaking, even with lube.

Othel rocked and bucked up against him. Thank every god for SHEILD getting them a bed that could withstand Thor. Thor reared up, eyes wild, and she bit down on a cry as he cupped his hand between her shoulder blades and leaned forward until she reclined against his arm. He dipped his huge head to press hot, wet, open-mouthed kisses to the skin between her breasts. Her hands flew up into his hair and held on for dear life as he moved to lap at her breasts like a puppy, suckling her nipples and pulling shivers out of her. Every touch of his fingers and tongue sent electric pulses between her legs.

"Move," she whispered and allowed her head to fall, still holding onto his hair like it was the last thing keeping her from exploding.

He rocked his hips, testing the waters.

"Faster," she breathed against his mouth and was cut off by a groan as he complied readily, his thick cock making a home inside. "Fuck. Fuck, yes, god, keep doing that!"

His hands slid down to cup her hips as he guided her into each of his thrusts, growing just a little harder and wilder. "Thou takes me so well. I have never met a person more accommodating."

Othel clenched her eyes shut and tried to breathe. The slow burn inside her was stoking into something hotter. He pushed into her harder, sinking deeper, and Othel bit down on a wail. "T-Thor...c-close."

Her mind suddenly dissolved into white noise, and she started drooling out of the corner of her mouth. His thumb moved to her swollen clitoris, the labia flushed huge with blood, and everything was so slick. "Yes," he groaned, still thrusting, still impossibly huge inside her, hot and unyielding. "My sweet Othel."

Her nerve endings paused and then ignited, starting from where she and Thor were joined, and spread outward. She could practically feel Thor come inside her before he carefully pulled out and lay beside her, pulling her close to him.


	28. Chapter 28

"Thor, I'm pregnant," Othel said casually as she walked to the kitchen and searched for something to eat and drink.

Thor felt as if his heart stopped in his chest, his eyes widening to the size of large Asgardian plates. He couldn't have heard her properly, truly he could not have. He couldn't be so lucky. Perhaps he misunderstood her words; it had happened on more than one occasion when she talked of Midgard and its wonders. "What?" Thor asked quietly, his hands holding her face gently.

"I'm pregnant. We're gonna have a baby," she replied casually.

"M-My babe grows within thee? Now? As we speak?" he whispered, looking down. He knelt down until his forehead rested against her stomach, wrapping his arms around her so she couldn't escape. "Thou hast honored me, dearest Othel. Thou hast given me the greatest gift a man can hope to receive. Thou bears my babe, my child within thee. A child made with the woman I love is a most wonderful blessing. I am overjoyed," he said as he pressed a kiss to her stomach.

Othel blushed a delightful shade of pink at his words and affections. "So…we're having a baby together."

"Yes," Thor replied, a huge smile stretching across his face. "Indeed we are."

"Oh shit, how are we going to raise this baby?" Othel wondered aloud. "With me going back and forth between here and SHIELD and you going to Asgard."

"Thou shalt come with me, and thou shalt stay with me in Asgard," Thor said happily. "Tonight we shall celebrate. The conception of a babe is a most joyous event to celebrate in any planet and culture," he said as he quickly swept her into his arms, carrying her onto the roof before calling for Heimdall.

After getting sick from the Bifrost, Thor carried Othel through the streets of Asgard. She was trying to keep her head down to hide her embarrassment. She was more restrained in her fascination than Jane was. Thor loved that about her. She was like a complete opposite of Thor. He let her walk through the palace beside him since she started to complain about being carted around. She was right though. She needed to gain her leg strength back. As they walked, they were suddenly assaulted by his nieces. Sàga and Loki were after them. The fact that Othel was in Asgard spoke the secret they had been waiting for: Thor would be a father.

"Greetings, Lady Othel," Loki said, bowing his head to her curtly. "Welcome to Asgard, and congratulations on thy infant."

"Come, tis time to celebrate this momentous occasion. Tonight is a night of revelry and celebration!" Thor exclaimed, ready to tell everyone of Othel and the babe they would have.

"Really?" Othel whined. "A party? You know I hate parties with a passion."

"Indeed. Do not worry though, dearest; I shall not leave thee to boredom."


	29. Chapter 29

Thor was busy working with Loki when a servant entered the room. He was one of the attendants Thor kept from his father's reign. Likely, it concerned Othel. Ever since she had their beautiful son, Atticus Thorson, she had been on intensive bedrest. She was oft trying to escape her sentence, or she was emotional from giving birth. Both were something Thor had experienced before and had expected from her.

"What is it?" he asked, looking away.

"Sire, Lady Othel needs thee."

The tone the servant used was quite alarming to say the least. He sounded frazzled and quite alarmed. The last couple of months since Atticus was born had been like a bubble of normality in his hectic, busy life. What if something had happened to them? He wasn't sure it was something he would be able to recover from.

"Loki-"

"Go," Loki sighed, taking away Thor's papers. "Best to quell that monstrous woman before she has yet another outbreak of emotion."

"I will go," he said, nearly leaping up.

As soon as he opened the doors to his private chambers he was trying to find Othel and Atticus in the rooms. He followed the sound of Atticus crying and found them in the nursery. It was pitch dark inside, and Atticus was screeching and weeping. Thor lit a torch on the wall, and in the dim light he saw Othel rocking a hysterical Atticus, tears running down both of their cheeks. The sight was heartbreaking to him. What could cause both of them such horrendous tears?

She looked up at him helplessly. "I don't know what to do; he won't stop crying."

Thor didn't know what he should do, so he went with what he wanted to do and knelt down in front of her and gathered her in his arms, careful of the babe between them. "What is wrong, dearest?" he cooed into her hair.

"He hates me," Othel cried into his neck.

"Othel, beloved, that could not be further from the truth," he said soothingly. He took Atticus in his arms and began soothing him with the rumble in his chest. It seemed like no time at all before he was asleep and sucking on Thor's shirt like it was Othel's breast.

"I spent over an hour trying to calm him down. I changed him, tried to feed him, walked up and down the hall, rocked him, sang to him. Nothing. You're here for two minutes and he's out like a light. My baby hates me. This is…sc-scientific proof."

Thor put the baby down in his crib and motioned for them to head out of her room. She followed, still hiccupping and sniffling into her dress sleeve. In their bedroom, she grabbed some Midgard tissues she insisted on having and tried to mop at her face. Thor sat down beside her and took her hand in his own. "Othel, our babe does not hate thee."

"How did you even know to come?" she asked suspiciously.

"A servant came to me."

She sat on the couch and started crying again. "Even they think I'm a bad mother! I'm a horrible person!" she sobbed.

"No, Othel, they just knew to call me when thou art upset," he said, holding her to him. Then he had an idea of how to help her. "Othel, when was the last time thou hast left the palace?"

"Not since two months before Atticus was born. Everyone hates me for replacing Jane. They think I'm just sloppy seconds; it really hasn't been worth leaving...even if fresh air would be nice. I'd rather just stay in here."

Thor knew how she felt. He tried his hardest to keep her away from the ones who did not appreciate her, but sometimes a few managed to slip through the cracks. "We should go to a Midgard beach. I promised to take Narfi, and it would be pleasant to see thee in Midgard swimwear."

"No."

"Why not?"

"I-I don't know. C-Could we maybe…just go to the library or something? You have work. I don't want to be a burden."

"That settles it," Thor stood. "We shall go to a Midgard beach."

Thor and Othel returned to Midgard with Narfi and Atticus in tow. Thor talked to Anthony, and his friend was kind enough to let them use a private beach along with his Malibu home. It was smaller than Thor expected, but it was cozy all the same. Thor and Narfi immediately went to the beach while Othel nursed Atticus and put him down for a nap in a carrier. When she met them outside though, Thor frowned.

"Why art thou wearing a robe?"

Othel looked near tears. "I'm wearing the damn thing because I let you and Tony pack for me, and all you dumbasses packed for me to swim in was a skimpy bikini!"

"What is wrong with that?"

"I just had a baby three months ago, you jackass! My body is hideous, and I don't think anyone deserves to see so much hideous in one sitting. It's bad for their health."

"I know thou hast had a baby," he said blankly. "Tis our baby. And thou dost not look hideous, thou looks beautiful!"

She shook her head. "You don't understand. You're gorgeous! You're literally the perfect male specimen! Your ass should be illegal in most countries. You're a giant beefcake. I'm all lumpy and bumpy and stretch mark laden. Who wants to see that?"

"Is that why we haven't coupled since the healers gave thee permission a few weeks ago?"

Othel wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of the robe. She had been crying so much lately. Thor was going to rectify that. "This may not be easy for you to understand, but it's hard to get in a sexy frame of mind when your body is so gross."

Thor walked forward, moving to untie the robe and peel it open despite Othel's attempts to keep it closed. He knelt in front of her and started kissing the stretch marks on her hip, making his way towards her belly button. "Othel, thou hast grown another human being within thee. That is something that I couldn't do. A few scars from something so amazing is nothing I would find ugly. They art thine battle scars…something to be proud of."

She let out a watery chuckle, then a squeak as she felt a tongue on her neck. A knot of tension released that she hadn't realized was constantly there. She had been so worried Thor wouldn't want her anymore. Seeing how turned on he was by her even with her imperfections was a relief.

"Uncle Thor!" Narfi screamed from the water line. "Play with me, not Aunt Othie! You play with her all the time!"

**-End**


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